LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
DAVIS 


THE 

s 


BLENNERHASSETT   PAPERS, 


EMBODYING   THE 


PEIVATE  JOURNAL  OF  BARMAN  BLENNERHASSITT, 


AND   THE   HITHERTO   UNPUBLISHED    CORRESPONDENCE    OF 


BURR,    ALSTON,    COMFORT    TYLER,    DEVEREAUX,    DAYTON, 

ADAIR,    MIRO,    EMMETT,    THEODOSIA    BURR 

ALSTON,   MRS.  BLENNERHASSETT, 


AND    OTHERS^  THEIR   CONTEMPORARIES;    DEVELOPING   THE   PURPOSES   AND 
AIMS    OF   THOSE    ENGAGED    IN    THE   ATTEMPTED 


WILKINSON  AND  BURR  REVOLUTION; 

EMBRACING   ALSO   THE   FIRST   ACCOUNT    OF   THE 

"SPANISH  ASSOCIATION   OF  KENTUCKY," 

AND   A 

MEMOIR  OF  BLENNERHASSETT, 

BY  WILLIAM  H.  SAFFOKD. 

,,:,,. 


MOORE,  WILSTAaH   &  BALDWIN, 

25    WEST    FOURTH    STREET, 

1864. 


LIBRARY 

DIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
DAVIS 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1864, 
BY   MOORE,    WILSTACH    &   BALDWIN. 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States,  for  the 
Southern  District  of  Ohio. 


TO    MY    FRIEND, 

SENECA    W.    ELY,    ESQ 

THIS    VOLUME 
IS    RESPECTFULLY   DEDICATED. 


TANGLEWOOD,  November  19th. 


PREFACE. 


IN  the  year  1850,  the  author  published  a  small  volume,  enti 
tled  "  The  Life  of  Blennerhassett,"  which  has  passed  through 
several  editions.  While  collecting  the  material  for  it,  he  learned 
of  the  existence  of  the  Blennerhassett  manuscripts,  and  made  an 
ineffectual  effort  to  secure  them.  They  were  then  in  the  cus 
tody  of  B.'s  invalid  son,  in  the  city  of  New  York,  who  could 
not  be  prevailed  upon  to  submit  them  to  the  author's  inspec-' 
tipn.  The  latter  was,  consequently,  compelled  to  send  the  work 
to  the  press,  with  such  limited  information  as  could  be  gathered 
from  contemporaneous  history  and  the  personal  reminiscences 
of  friends.  On  the  death  of  this  son,  in  1854,  the  papers 
passed  into  the  possession  of  JOSEPH  LEWIS  BLENNERHASSETT, 
the  youngest  surviving  child  of  the  family,  from  whom  they 
were  obtained  in  the  spring  of  1859. 

Upon  an  examination,  the  author  was  gratified  to  find  that 
his  former  publication,  although  written  upon  such  unsatisfac- 
*tory  data,  so  far  as  it  professed  to  relate  the  life  of  Blenner 
hassett,  was  in  every  material  particular  correct.  But  the  addi 
tional  fund  of  interesting  and  important  information  which  was 
disclosed — particularly  with  reference  to  this  most  romantic  epi 
sode  of  American  history — seemed  to  impose  the  necessity  of  an 
entire  revision  of  his  work.  In  the  performance  of  this  duty, 
so  much  new  material  has  been  added  from  the  private  mem 
oranda,  journals  and  correspondence  of  Blennerhassett,  that  he 
has  thought  it  advisable  to  change  its  title.  Hence  he  has 
adopted  that  of  "  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS  ;"  and  so  nu- 


6  PREFACE. 

merous  have  been  the  changes,  that  it  may  now  be  regarded  as 
a  separate  and  independent  publication. 

In  the  selection  and  arrangement  of  the  materials,  .he  has 
endeavored,  impartially,  to  place  before  the  public  every  im 
portant  fact  connected  with  the  subject.  Having  no  object  to 
conceal  the  faults  or  infirmities,  nor  inclination  to  apologize  for 
the  acts,  of  Blennerhassett,  the  author  has  been  careful  to  sup 
press  nothing  to  shield  him  from  censure,  nor  has  he  invented 
excuses  to  extenuate  his  conduct.  Wherever  and  whenever  it 
has  been  necessary,  for  the  interest  of  the  work  and  the  inform 
ation  of  the  reader,  that  the  motives  by  which  Blennerhassett 
was  actuated  should  be  disclosed,  he  has  not  hesitated  to  reveal 
them,  even  though  it  involved  the  invasion  of  private  corres 
pondence. 

It  is  possible,  nay,  probable,  that  much  is  here  presented  which, 
could  it  have  passed  under  the  personal  supervision  of  Mr. 
Blennerhassett,  would  have  been  materially  modified,  or  entirely 
withheld ;  particularly  after  time  had  smoothed  the  asperities 
of  personal  rancor,  and  obliterated  the  memory  of  private  wrongs. 
But  this  is  certainly  not  the  province  of  the  impartial  biogra 
pher,  whose  paramount  aim  is  the  verity  of  history,  and  not 
the  unwarranted  aggrandizement  of  individual  character. 

These  remarks  apply  more  appropriately  to  the  observations 
on  men  and  measures,  contained  in  the  journal  and  private 
correspondence  of  Blennerhassett.  The  scathing  criticisms,  and, 
in  many  instances,  unmerited  censure,  with  which  its  pages  are 
replete,  can  only  be  extenuated  by  the  smarting  sense  of  per 
sonal  injustice  to  which  he  deemed  himself  subjected.  It  is  to 
be  borne  in  mind,  however,  that  none  of  his  notes  were  ever 
intended  for  the  public  eye;  that  they  were  written  exclusively 
for  the  entertainment  of  his  wife  and  friends,  at  a  time  when 
party  spirit  ran  high,  and  the  jealous  rivalries  of  leading  poli 
ticians  had  discarded  the  amenities  of  social  intercourse ;  when 


PREFACE.  7 

Colonel  Burr  himself  strove  to  give  a  partisan  bias  to  the  pros 
ecution  for  treason,  by  charging  Mr.  Jefferson  with  political 
malevolence  and  private  revenge.  Under  such  considerations, 
we  are  prepared,  at  least,  to  excuse  the  warmth  of  his  invec 
tives,  however  much  we  may  dissent  from  his  conclusions. 
Time  has  demonstrated,  that  whatever  personal  inconvenience 
and  sacrifice  of  private  interest  the  arrest  of  the  Burr  Expedi 
tion  occasioned  the  parties  immediately  involved ;  whatever  mo 
tives  may  have  influenced  the  action  of  the  executive  in  the 
prosecution  of  its  leader,  it  is  certainly  now  clear,  that  it  main 
tained  the  integrity  of  the  Union,  and  re-established  the  confi 
dence  of  the  world  in  the  power  and  perpetuity  of  the  govern 
ment. 

The  chapter  devoted  to  the  Spanish  intrigues  in  Kentucky, 
seemed  necessary  to  a  proper  understanding  of  the  causes  which 
induced,  and  the  parties  who  influenced  and  projected,  this 
noted  undertaking.  If  the  remarks  upon  the  conduct  of  Gene 
ral  Wilkinson  should  seem  severe,  the  author  can  only  say  that 
they  have  been  prompted  through  no  feeling  of  personal  en 
mity,  but  in  justice,  merely,  to  those  who  were  the  victims  of 
his  duplicity  and  bold  breach  of  faith. 

He  has  to  regret  the  haste  with  which  the  necessities  of  the 
case  have  compelled  him  to  prepare  the  work  for  the  press.  It 
has  been  completed  in  exactly  one  year  from  the  time  the 
papers  were  submitted  to  his  inspection,  and  at  such  intervals 
of  leisure,  only,  as  he  could  appropriate  from  the  duties  of  an 
arduous  profession.  He  can  not,  therefore,  flatter  himself  that 
it  is  free  from  occasional  errors,  or  that  it  will  successfully 
escape  the  criticism  of  cultivated  and  correct  taste.  But  how 
ever  numerous  may  be  its  faults,  he  can  only  hope  that  they  may 
in  some  measure  elude  detection  through  the  interest  which  the 
subject  itself  creates. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER    I. 

Lineage  of  Blennerhassett ;  Placed  at  Westminster  to  school ;  Grad 
uates  at  Trinity  College ;.  The  Irish  Bar ;  Preferences,  by  the  Irish 
gentry,  for  the  legal  profession;  Studies  at  the  King's  Inns;  Called 
to  the  degree  of  Barrister ;  Determines  to  travel ;  Sets  out  for  the 
Continent;  France;  Witnesses  the  adoption  of  the  new  Constitu 
tion  ;  Returns ;  Irish  Revolutionists,  John  and  Henry  Sheares ;  Dis 
content  of  Ireland ;  Monopoly  of  England ;  English  tyranny;  Effect 
of  American  Revolution  on  Ireland;  On  Europe;  Repeal  of  Stat 
ute  Sixth  of  George  First ;  Blennerhassett  determines  on  removal ; 
Starts  for  Kinsale ;  Proceeds  to  England ;  Miss  Agnew ;  Marriage 
and  Migration 19 

CHAPTER    II. 

Ships  for  New  York ;  Letter  to  Lord  Kinsale ;  Ohio  and  Mississippi 
Valleys ;  Sets  out  for  the  West ;  Arrives  at  Pittsburg ;  Takes  pas 
sage  for  Marietta;  Population  of  the  village;  Resolves  to  locate; 
Selecting  a  site  for  a  residence;  The  Island;  Moves  to  a  block 
house,  and  commences  improvements ;  Simplicity  not  consulted  in 
the  construction  of  the  mansion ;  Description ;  Domesticity.  ...  29 

CHAPTER    III. 

Personal  appearance  of  Blennerhassett;  Anecdote  of;  Experiment; 
Proficiency  in  music ;  simplicity  of  character;  Anecdote  of;  Afraid 
of  earthquakes  and  thunder-storms ;  Mrs.  Blennerhassett 50 

CHAPTER    IV 

Character  of  the  early  settlers  of  Western  Virginia ;  Variety ;  Social 
distinctions  abolished ;  Amusements;  Feats  of  strength ;  Chivalry; 
Patriotism;  Washington's  compliment;  Early  settlers  of  Belpre'; 
New  England  origin ;  Puritanical  practices ;  Bravery ;  Patriotism ; 
Education ;  Comparison  of  the  two  types  of  character 56 


10  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER     V. 

Difficulties  attending  the  early  colonization  of  the  Mississippi  Valley ; 
Navigation  of  the  river  cause. of  discontent;  Tardiness  of  Congress 
in  asserting  the  rights  of  the  people;  Murmurings  of  discontent; 
Want  of  unanimity  of  the  people  on  the  subject  of  redress  of  griev 
ances  ;  Disunion  advocated ;  Intrigues  of  the  Spanish  Crown ;  Gen 
eral  James  Wilkinson ;  Endeavors  to  secure  the  free  navigation  of 
the  Mississippi;  Arrested  by  order  of  the  Governor  of  Louisiana; 
Released;  Entertainment;  Permission  to  trade;  Suspicious  inti 
macy  ;  Gardoqui  and  Miro  without  concert  of  plan ;  Gardoqui  ap 
points  Pierre  d'Argfes  to  execute  scheme;  D' Argfes'  movements; 
Plans  of  Spanish  agents  threaten  collision ;  Dispatch  of  Miro  to 
Valdfes;  Wilkinson  sails  from  New  Orleans  to  Philadelphia;  Pro 
ceeds  to  Richmond ;  Addresses  a  letter  to  Gardoqui ;  Colonel  George 
Morgan;  Efforts  at  Colonization;  Wilkinson  returns  across  the 
mountains ;  His  splendid  equipage  creates  suspicion ;  Enters  into 
large  contracts  for  tobacco;  Communicates  with  Miro  by  special 
messengers ;  Advises  him  of  the  disaffection  of  the  Kentucky  people, 
and  the  probable  success  of  their  plans;  Wilkinson  suspicioned  by 
Miro  as  working  for  pecuniary  advancement;  Dispatch  of  Miro; 
Major  Dunn  sent  by  Wilkinson  as  supercargo;  Is  introduced  by. 
letter  to  Miro ;  Wilkinson  communicates  further  intelligence  of  the 
disposition  of  the  Kentuckians ;  Major  Dunn  corroborates  his  state 
ments;  Dispatch  from  McGillivray,  the  half-breed  chief;  Miro  elated ; 
Wilkinson  still  ignorant  of  Gardoqui's  plans;  Diplomacy;  Wilkin 
son  on  a  wrong  scent;  Wilkinson  sowing  the  seeds  of  dissension 
in  Kentucky;  Constant  agitations;  Wilkinson's  success  animates 
others;  A  new  cause  of  excitement;  The  new  Constitution  of  the 
United  States ;  Convention  of  Virginia  called  to  meet  at  Richmond  ; 
A  District  Convention  called  to  meet  at  Danville  to  frame  a  Consti 
tution  for  the  new  State;  Wilkinson  chosen  as  a  member;  Sudden 
termination  of  its  deliberations;  Letter  on  the  subject  from  Wilkin 
son  to  Miro ;  South-Western  feeling ;  Wilkinson  still  suspected  ; 
General  Morgan's  movements;  Wilkinson's  distrust  of  Morgan; 
Sordid  desires;  British  intrigue;  Connally  deputed  by  Dorchester; 
Visits  Kentucky;  Propositions;  Interview  with  Wilkinson;  Coun 
terplotting  ;  Spain  consents  to  the  navigation  of  the  Mississippi  on 
terms ;  Effect  of  the  measure ;  Wilkinson  discouraged ;  Apprehen 
sions  for  his  own  safety  excited ;  Desires  to  become  a  Spanish  sub 
ject;  Is  dissuaded  by  Miro;  Miro's  hopes  dampened;  Proposes  to 
pension  Wilkinson  to  guard  the  interest  of  Spain,  and  Sebastian  to 
guard  Wilkinson;  Kentucky  admitted ;  Wilkinson  commissioned  ag 
Lieutenant-Colonel ;  Reason  therefor ;  Discontent  still  prevailing ; 
Genet's  intrigue ;  Jacobin  Clubs  ;  Address  of  the  Society  at  Philadel- 


CONTENTS.  11 

phia;  General  George  Rogers  Clark  commissioned  a  Major-General 
in  the  French  Revolutionary  Legions;  Washington  embarrassed: 
Demands  the  recall  of  Genet;  General  Wayne  ordered  to  repair  to 
Massac ;  Tranquillity,  for  a  time,  restored 63 

CHAPTER     VI. 

Clouds  gathering;  Burr  visits  the  West;  Object;  Visits  the  Island; 
Interview  with  Wilkinson;  Blennerhassett  on  a  visit  to  Emmett; 
Duped  by  Harte ;  Letter  to  James  Brown,  Esq. ;  Despondent ;  Pro 
poses  to  change  his  residence;  Letter  to  Devereux ;  Burr's  first  com 
munication  to  Blennerhassett;  Answer  to  Burr;  Burr  to  Blenner 
hassett;  Burr's  third  letter;  Burr's  fourth  and  fifth  letters;  Arrival 
at  the  Island;  Interview;  Projects;  Wirt's  description;  Burr  con 
tinues  recruiting ;  Tempting  inducements  held  out 105 

CHAPTER     VII. 

Preparations ;  Burr  visits  Chillicothe,  Cincinnati,  Kentucky ;  Terms 
of  enlistment;  "Querist;"  Lexington,  Kentucky;  Mrs.  Alston  joined 
by  her  husband  at  the  Island,  in  company  with  Blennerhassett ;  visit. 
Lexington;  Reception;  Ruse;  Col.  Alston;  Letter  of  Blennerhassett 
to  Jos.  S.  Lewis  &  Co. ;  Apprehensions  of  the  public  mind ;  Retro 
spect;  Rumors  of  the  Expedition;  Graham  appointed  a  secret  agent 
to  investigate  its  object;  Instructions  to  Wilkinson;  Marches  to 
ward  Natchitoches ;  Orders  the  fortification  of  New  Orleans ;  Re 
fused  forces  by  the  Executive  of  Mississippi  Territory ;  Sends  Bur 
ling  to  Mexico  to  apprise  the  Viceroy ;  Meeting  at  New  Orleans ; 
Preparations  for  resistance;  Mutiny  in  Wood  county,  Va.;  Mrs. 
Blennerhassett  alarmed ;  Dispatches  a  messenger  to  Blennerhassett ; 
He  returns  from  Lexington;  Dr.  Bennett;  Letter  to  Colonel  Phelps; 
Reply ;  Interview ;  Letter  from  Devereux ;  Burr's  arrest  in  Ken 
tucky;  Advises  Blennerhassett;  Discharge;  Graham  visits  Mari 
etta;  Interview  with  Blennerhassett;  Visits  the  Governor  of  Ohio 
at  Chillicothe;  Act  of  the  Ohio  Legislature;  Militia  of  the  State 
called  out;  Anecdotes;  Comfort  Tyler;  Tyler  to  Blennerhassett; 
Hon.  Charles  Fenton  Mercer ;  Interview ;  Reflections ;  Arrival  of 
Tyler  at  the  Island ;  Blennerhassett  disheartened ;  Persuaded  by  his 
wife  to  proceed;  Boats  guarded  by  the  militia;  Young  recruits 
attempt  a  rescue .  .  .  .  .  .,  *  .  .  .  .  131 

CHAPTER     VIII. 

Burr  dispatches  communication  in  cipher  to  Wilkinson;  Revelations; 
Evidences  of  Wilkinson's  complicity ;  Wilkinson's  treachery;  Com 
municates  with  the  President;  Proclamation  of  the  President; 


12  CONTENTS. 

Blennerhassett  alarmed;  Preparations;  Mrs.  Blcnnerhassett;  Es 
cape  of  the  Expedition  from  the  Island ;  Col.  Phelps  with  his  forces ; 
Ineffectual  attempt  to  arrest  Blennerhassett  at  Point  Pleasant; 
Instructions  sent  to  Tennessee ;  Graham  leaves  Frankfort  for  Nash 
ville;  The  movements  of  Burr;  Kentucky  militia  ordered  out; 
Burr's  flotilla;  Burr  leaves  the  Cumberland;  Lands  at  Fort  Massac; 
Is  visited  by  the  Commander,  Captain  Bissel ;  Supplies  Burr  with  a 
messenger  to  convey  a  letter  to  the  Lead  Mines  in  Missouri ;  His 
wife  presents  Burr  with  provisions ;  Burr  and  his  party  proceed  to 
Chickasaw  Bluffs;  Has  an  interview  with  the  Commander,  Lieuten 
ant  Jacob  Jackson;  Fails  in  his  designs;  Communication  of  the 
President  to  Wilkinson;  Burr  supplies  himself  with  lead,  toma 
hawks,  etc.,  and  proceeds  to  Palmyra,  and  thence  to  Bayou  Pierre ; 
Blennerhassett' s  Journal  of  the  voyage  down  the  river 167 

CHAPTER    IX. 

Morgan  Neville,  and  William  Robinson,  Junior;  Embark  from  Pitts- 
burg  in  a  flatboat;  Espied  by  the  Wood  county  militia,  and  arrested; 
Escorted  to  the  Island  to  await  the  return  of  Colonel  Phelps ;  Diffi 
culties  with  the  militia;  Trial  of  the  young  men;  Conduct  of  the 
militia  on  the  Island;  Mrs.  Blennerhassett;s  return  from  Marietta; 
Her  fortitude  on  the  occasion  ;  Embarrassed  situation ;  Accepts  the 
offer  of  the  young  men  to  convey  her  to  her  husband;  Colonel 
Phelps's  return  to  the  Island;  Young  men  embarrassed  at  the 
announcement  of  his  arrival;  Character  and  description  of  Colonel 
Phelps ;  Rebukes  the  militia  for  their  riotous  conduct ;  His  politeness 
to  the  young  men;  Proffers  his  services  in  accelerating  Mrs.  Blen 
nerhassett' s  arrangement  to  go  to  her  husband;  Apologizes  for  the 
misbehavior  of  his  men;  Mrs.  Blennerhassett  prepares  to  depart; 
Leaves  the  Island  in  company  with  the  young  men;  Passes  the 
mouth  of  the  Cumberland;  Disappointed  in  not  finding  her  hus 
band  ;  Arrives  at  Bayou  Pierre,  and  is  restored  to  Blennerhassett ; 
Painful  situation  of  Burr  and  Blennerhassett;  Burr  sinks  the  arms 
for  the  Expedition,  in  the  Mississippi 193 

CHAPTER     X. 

Proclamation  of  Cowles  Mead  in  Mississippi ;  Burr  visited  at  his  boats 

by  George  Poindexter,  Attorney-General ;  Letter  from  Cowles  Mead ; 
.   Surrender ;  Examination  before  Rodney  ;  Jury  called  ;  Refuse  to  find 

a  Bill  of  Indictment;   Censure  the  arrest;   Burr  resolves  to  escape; 

Letter  to  Mrs.  Blennerhassett ;  Makes  flight ;  Burr's  forces  arrested ; 

Other  seizures  at  New  Orleans ;  Habeas  corpus  granted  by  WTorkman ; 

Wilkinson  refuses  to  surrender  his   prisoners;  Workman  resigns; 


CONTENTS.  13 

« 

Burling  returns  from  Mexico  Wilkinson  and  Admiral  Drake; 
Trial  and  discharge  of  Bollman,  Swartwout,  Ogden  and  Alexander; 
Letter  of  Blennerhassett  to  Graham;  Blennerhassett  arrested,  and 
released  on  bail 199 

CHAPTER    XI. 

Burr's  arrival  in  the  village  of  Wakefield,  Alabama;  Inquires  for 
Colonel  Hinson's;  His  conduct  excites  suspicion;  He  is  pursued  by 
Nicholas  Perkins  and  Brightwell,  the  Sheriff;  Is  found  at  Hinson's; 
His  agreeableness ;  Suspicions  of  the  Sheriff;  Mrs.  Hinson's  inquis- 
itiveness ;  His  departure  from  Hinson's ;  Delinquency  of  Brightwell ; 
Perkins  sets  out  for  Fort  Stoddard,  to  procure  assistance  of  Lieuten 
ant  Edmund  P.  Gaines ;  They  start  in  pursuit ;  Burr  is  arrested ; 
His  imprisonment  at  the  Fort;  Kindness  to  George  S.  Gaines; 
Amusements  at  the  Fort;  Burr's  traveling  companion,  Major  Ash 
ley,  arrested,  and  escapes ;  Difficulties  in  procuring  a  guard  to  con 
vey  Burr  to  Richmond;  Burr  leaves  the  Fort  under  guard;  Sympa 
thy  of  the  ladies ;  Guard ;  Perkins  fears  the  influence  of  Burr ;  Par 
ticulars  of  the  journey;  Burr  attempts  to  escape  at  Chester;  Is 
unsuccessful ;  Arrives  at  Richmond,  Virginia ;  Letter  of  Alston  to 
Governor  Pinkney,  of  South  Carolina 214 

CHAPTER     XII. 

Blennerhassett  leaves  Natchez  for  the  Island ;  Letter  of  Blennerhap- 
sett  to  Mrs.  Blennerhassett ;  Same  to  same ;  Travel's  history  ;  Letter 
from  Mrs.  Blennerhassett  to  Mr.  Blennerhassett ;  Blennerhassett  to 
Mrs.  Blennerhassett ;  Another ;  Letter  from  D.  Woodbridge  to  Blen 
nerhassett;  From  Mrs.  to  Mr.  Blennerhassett;  Burr  to  Blennerhas 
sett;  Alston  to  Blennerhassett;  From  Mrs.  Theodosia  Burr  Alston; 
From  Burr  to  Blennerhassett ;  Arrest  of  Blennerhassett  at  Lexing 
ton  ;  Advises  Mrs.  Blennerhassett  by  letter ;  Narrative  of  the  events 
by  himself ;  Blennerhassett  to  Mrs.  Blennerhassett;  Account  of  the 
arrest  from  the  "  Western  World;"  Letter  from  Henry  Clay;  Letter 
from  Mrs.  Blennerhassett;  Blennerhassett  to  Mrs.  Blennerhassett, 
from  the  Penitentiary;  Account  of  the  journey  and  incidents  at 
Richmond;  Burr  to  Blennerhassett;  Same  to  same;  Blennerhassett 
to  Mrs.  Blennerhassett ;  Burr  to  Blennerhassett ;  Mrs.  Blennerhas 
sett  to  Mr.  Blennerhassett;  Same  to  same;  Burr  to  Blennerhassett; 
Same  to  same ;  Blennerhassett  to  Mrs.  Blennerhassett ;  Same  to 
same;  Devereux  to  Blennerhassett;  Blennerhassett  to  Mrs.  Blenner 
hassett;  Trial  of  Burr  commenced;  Counsel  engaged;  Verdict  of 
acquittal ;  Blennerhassett  to  Mrs.  Blennerhassett. 231 


14  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER     XIII. 
Blennerhassett's  Private  Journal 30J 

CHAPTER     XIV. 

Letter  from  Blennerhassett  to  Mrs.  Blennerhassett;  Same  to  same; 
Letter  from  Luther  Martin  to  Blennerhassett;  Blennerhassett  to 
Mrs.  Blennerhassett;  Blennerhassett  to  Colonel  Burr;  Blennerhas 
sett  to  Mrs.  Blennerhassett ;  Same  to  same ;  Same  to  same ;  Returns 
to  Natchez ;  Pecuniary  distress ;  Purchases  a  cotton  plantation ; 
Finds  a  home;  Mrs.  Blennerhassett's  management;  Devereux  to 
Blennerhassett;  A  small  remittance;  Joseph  S.Lewis  to  Blenner 
hassett;  Thomas  Addis  Eminett  to  Blennerhassett;  Joseph  S.Lewis 
to  same ;  From  the  same ;  From  the  same ;  Blennerhassett  to  Gov 
ernor  Alston ;  Effect  of  the  embargo ;  Island  Mansion  destroyed  by 
fire  ;  Letter  from  Joseph  S.  Lewis ;  From  the  same ;  From  the  same ; 
From  the  same ;  From  the  house  of  Joseph  S.  Lewis  &  Co. ;  From 
Joseph  S.  Lewis ;  From  the  same ;  From  Joseph  S.  Lewis  &  Co. ;  Burr 
in  Europe;  Suspected  in  England;  Visits  Edinburg;  Returns  to 
London,  and  is  imprisoned ;  Set  at  large,  and  ordered  to  quit  the 
kingdom ;  His  subsequent  movements ;  Returns  to  New  York ;  Letter 
from  to  Blennerhassett;  Blennerhassett  to  Burr;  Letter  from  Mr. 
Emmett 508 

CHAPTER     XV. 

Origin  of  the  Burr  Expedition  ;  History  of  events  preceding ;  Gayoso's 
intrigues ;  Power  dispatched  to  Wilkinson ;  Plan  for  dismembering 
Kentucky;  Wilkinson's  complicity;  Power's  second  mission;  In 
structions;  Wilkinson's  reply ;  Spanish- American  settlers ;  United 
States  tardy  in  taking  possession  of  Spanish  forts  under  the  treaty 
of  1783;  Spain  is  jealous  of  her  American  possessions;  Memoir  of 
the  First  Consul  of  France ;  Advises  that  Wilkinson  be  enlisted  in 
the  service  of  France;  Wilkinson  the  author  of  the  Burr  Expedi 
tion;  Burr's  project  not  a  new  one ;  Miranda's  Expedition;  Extent 
of  Burr's  intrigues ;  Misrepresentations ;  Wilkinson's  complicity 
and  treachery ;  Jefferson  accused. 664 

CHAPTER     XVI. 

Blennerhassett  unsuccessful;  Disposes  of  his  Mississippi  estate,  and 
removes  to  New  York;  Removes  to  Canada  in  hopes  of  obtaining  a 
Judgeship;  Unsuccessful;  "  The  Deserted  Isle;"  Sails*  for  Ireland ; 
Disappointed  in  recovering  estates ;  Letter  from  Mrs.  Blennerhas- 
eett;  Distress  of  Mrs.  Bleimerhassett;  Letter  to  Blennerhassett; 


CONTENTS.  15 

Colonel  Archibald  Henderson  to  Mrs.  Blennerhassett;  Same  to  the 
same ;  Blennerhassett  seeks  office  in  England ;  Letter  to  the  Marquis 
of  Anglesey ;  Letter  from  Mrs.  Blennerhassett ;  Letter  to  Nev.  de 
Courcy;  To  Lord  Courtney;  From  Mrs.  Blennerhassett;  From  the 
same ;  To  General  Devereux ;  To  J.  Kingdom  ;  To  Devereux ;  To  the 
Marquis  of  Wellesley ;  His  history ;  Marries  Mrs.  Patterson,  of  Bal 
timore,  formerly  Miss  Eaton ;  The  Tabinet  Ball ;  Reverses  of  fortune ; 
Letter  from  the  poet  Campbell ;  Blennerhassett  returns  to  Canada, 
to  remove  permanently  to  England;  Mrs.  Blennerhassett's  health 
declining ;  Letter  to  Lord  Anglesey ;  Answer ;  To  Harman  Blenner 
hassett  ;  Premonition  of  death ;  Removes  to  Guernsey ;  Death ;  Re 
flections;  Mrs.  Blennerhassett  visits  the  United  States;  Presents 
her  memorial  to  Congress ;  Claim  reported  favorably  upon ;  Death 
of  Mrs.  Blennerhassett 682 

APPENDIX. 

I.   SECRET  CORRESPONDENCE 657 

II.  THE  BATTLE  or  MUSKINGUM,  OR  DEFEAT  OF  THE  BURRITES.    .    .  661 


INTRODUCTION. 


MORE  than  fifty  years  since,  the  inhabitants  of  the 
West  were  gratified  by  the  intelligence  that  an  indi 
vidual  of  rank  and  fortune  ha,d  renounced  allegiance 
to  his  father-land,  to  take  up  his  abode  among  them. 
In  those  primitive  days,  every  addition  to  the  little 
band  of  early  pioneers  was  deemed  of  some  import 
ance  ;  but  the  accession  of  one  whose  manners  and 
customs  differed  so  widely  from  their  own,  who  could 
build  and  adorn  a  palace  in  the  western  wilds,  was 
considered  an  event  of  wonderful  magnitude. 

With  satisfaction  they  beheld  the  first  germs  of  civi 
lization  springing  from  beneath  the  plastic  hand  of 
taste,  and  bursting  into  full  maturity  through  the  gen 
ial  influence  of  wealth.  This  western  Eden,'  while  it 
captivated  their  eyes  with  its  beauty,  amazed  their 
minds  with  the  resources  of  its  possessor.  They  wit 
nessed  the  accomplishment  of  his  ends  in  the  subjuga 
tion  of  nature  to  his  will;  saw  "the  desert  bloom  and 
blossom  as  the  rose;"  stood  as  anxious  spectators 
when  the  whirlwind  of  popular  prejudice  prostrated 
the  hopes  of  his  household;  and  wept  for  the  desola 
tion  which  succeeded.. 

Since  the  celebrated  expedition  of  Aaron  Burr,  the 
earlier  fortunes  of  Blennerhassett  have  been  the  sub 
ject  of  singular  curiosity.  Many  have  ^been  the  sur 
mises  as  to  the  causes  which  led  this  scion  of  Euro- 
2 


18  INTRODUCTION. 

pean  aristocracy  to  renounce  the  hereditary  honors 
consequent  upon  family,  for  the  secluded  life  of  an 
unpretending  republican.  Some  attribute  it  to  an 
early  alliance  with  a  lady  whose  fortune  and  rank 
were  unequal  to  those  of  his  own;  others,  to  a  want 
of  success  as  a  member  of  the  Irish  bar;  while  the 
uncharitable  are  anxious  to  throw  around  the  subject 
conjectures  of  the  darkest  character. 

The  mystery  which  surrounds  -him  and  his  "  island 
home "  has  served,  for  more  than  fifty  years,  to  enter 
tain  the  passing  traveler,  as  he  glides  by  the  spot 
where  once  stood  the  American  Alhambra.  The  mar 
velous  stories  of  Spain,  of  Moslem  enchantment  and 
Moorish  gold,  are  scarcely  less  credible  than  the  tales  at 
such  times  repeated  to  the  attentive  ear  of  the  listener. 

Memory  reverts  with  fond  delight  to  the  earlier  days 
of  our  youthful  pastimes,  when,  strolling  through  the 
embowered  coppices  of  the  isle,  or  seated  beneath  the 
vine-clad  cotton  tree,  the  stern  realities  of  life  were 
forgotten,  in  the  tragic  narratives  of  by-gone  years. 
Around  the  name  of  Blennerhassett,  and  every  thing 
connected  with  it,  was  waved  the  enchanting  wand  of 
romance ;  and  tales  of  beauty,  of  splendor,  and  of  crime, 
while  they  fascinated  us  with  their  witchery,  startled 
us  with  his  deep  and  dark  designs. 

Who  Blennerhassett  truly  was,  and  what  his  origin 
and  destiny,  it  is  our  object  to  disclose; — to  strip  the 
subject  of  that  mysteriousness  which  ignorance,  wilful 
prejudice,  or  a  love  of  the  marvelous  has  thrown 
around  it,  and  reveal  to  the  inquiring  reader  the  acts 
and  character  of  the  man. 

" 


THE 


BLENNERHASSETT   PAPERS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

LITTLE  of  incident  is  anywhere  related  of  the  early 
life  of  Blennerhassett.  He  was  the  youngest  son  of  a 
distinguished  family,  which  could  trace  its  lineage  from 
the  time  of  King  John.  His  grandfather,  Robert, 
having  emigrated  from  Cumherland  in  the  reign  of  Eli 
zabeth,  became  the  head  of  three  highly  respectable 
branches  of  Irish  gentry. 

The  first  son  was  the  proprietor  of  Ballyseedy;  the 
second  of  Conway  Castle,  Killorglin,  both  in  the  county 
of  Kerry ;  and  the  third  established  himself  at  Riddles- 
town,  in  the  county  of  Limerick. 

The  subject  of  this  memoir  was  of  the  Castle  Conway, 
or  Killorglin  line.  He  wras  born  in  Hampshire,  on  the 
8th  of  October,  in  the  year  1764  or  1765,  while  his  parents 
were  on  a  temporary  visit  to  England.  A  younger  son, 
and  by  the  laws  of  primogeniture,  destined  to  a  profes 
sion,  he  was  placed  by  his  father  at  an  early  age,  in  the 
celebrated  school  of  Westminster.  He  was  afterward 


20  THE    BLENNERHASSETT    PAPERS. 

entered  at  Trinity  College,  Dublin,  where  it  is  said  he 
graduated  with  honor  to  himself  and  credit  to  his  pro 
fessors. 

At  that  time  the  Irish  bar — a  body  formidable  to  the 
then  existing  government — comprised  many  sons  of  the 
noblemen  and  commoners  of  Ireland.  The  legal  science 
was  not  then  a  mere  trade,  but  a  profession,  requiring 
both  learning  and  time  to  master  its  abstruse  truths. 

Eloquence  was  looked  upon  as  a  qualification  for  the 
Senate,  and  almost  every  peer  and  commoner  had  a 
relative  among  its  members. 

This  inordinate  preference  for  the  legal  profession  is 
said  to  have  arisen  from  numerous  causes.  Chief 
among  these  was  the  ambition  of  their  gentry,  and  their 
family  pride.  The  first  anxiety  of  a  parent  was  to  secure 
for  his  son  a  calling  befitting,  in  every  particular,  the 
dignity  of  the  ancient  name.  In  this  respect  the  bar 
has  at  all  times  proved  the  highway  to  fortune  and 
political  preferment.  But  the  consideration  of  wealth,  or, 
perhaps,  a  seat  in  the  Privy  Council,  were  not  the  only 
inducements  to  such  a  selection.  Although  they  were 
not  to  be  regarded  with  indifference,  yet  there  Jaas  also 
been  an  adventitious  dignity  conferred  upon  the  profes 
sion,  by  the  political  circumstances  of  the  country,  and 
the  individual  influence  of  many  of  its  illustrious  names. 
Until  1792,  no  Catholic  could  be  admitted  to  the  pri 
vileges  of  a  barrister,  and  the  dignities  of  the  profession 
were  confined  to  a  favored  few.  The  highest  families 
were  anxious  to  secure  positions,  which  stamped  an 
aristocratic  character  upon  the  importance  of  the  calling ; 
and  to  be  a  counsellor  in  those  days  was  to  be  no  ordi- 


IN  FRANCE.  21 

nary  personage;  the  title  was  an  indisputable  passport 
to  aristocratic  society  and  intellectual  association. 

Blennerhassett  having,  therefore,  selected  the  law  as 
the  surest  road  to  preferment  and  wealth,  was  placed 
at  the  King's  Inns,  as  an  entered  apprentice;  and  at 
Michaelmas  term,  1790,  at  the  age  of  twenty-five,  was 
generally  admitted  into  the  "Honorable  Society,"  and 
called  to  the  degree  of  Barrister  therein. 

Having  now  successfully  accomplished  a  severe  course 
of  study  in  which,  in  a  few  years,  he  had  passed  through 
the  first  literary,  scientific  and  legal  institutions  of  Great 
Britain ;  and,  by  the  death  of  his  eldest  brother,  having 
but  recently  succeeded  to  the  family  estates,  rendering 
exertion  in  his  profession  unnecessary  as  a  means  of  sub 
sistence,  he  determined  before  entering  upon  its  duties, 
to  indulge  himself  for  a  time  in  the  recreation  of  foreign 
travel. 

Accordingly,  in  company  with  one  of  his  companions, 
he  set  out  for  a  tour  upon  the  continent.  France,  both 
then  as  now,  was  the  center  of  interest  for  all  the  world. 
For  the  philosopher,  statesman,  or  man  of  pleasure,  she 
has  long  possessed,  and  still  presents,  superior  attractions 
over  any  of  her  sister  Kingdoms.  At  the  period  of 
Blennerhassett's  visit,  she  had  been  rocked  by  the  whirl 
wind  of  revolution ;  and  the  established  despotism  of  her 
military  monarchs  had  been  crumbled  into  atoms.  The 
massive  structure  of  the  Bastile,  every  stone  of  which 
echoed  the  groans  of  four  centuries  of  oppression,  had 
been  torn  from  its  summit  to  its  foundation,  by  the  infu 
riated  advocates  of  popular  freedom.  On  the  anniver 
sary  of  its  destruction,  Louis  Sixteenth,  with  thirty 


22  THE    BLENNERHASSETT    PAPERS. 

thousand  delegates  from  the  confederated  National 
Guards  of  the  kingdom,  in  the  presence  of  five  hun 
dred  thousand  of  their  countrymen,  had  taken  the  oath 
of  fidelity  to  the  nation,  to  the  Constitution,  and,  all 
save  the  monarch  himself,  to  the  king.  But  France  was 
still  trembling  from  the  convulsions  of  her  people.  Her 
recuperative  energies  were  starting  afresh,  on  a  new  sys 
tem  of  government,  which  lacked  all  the  great  elements 
of  success.  To  one  who  had  been  familiar  with  the 
daily  complainings  of  an  oppressed  nation,  who,  although 
himself  but  upon  the  verge  of  manhood,  had  already 
been  strongly  suspected  of  a  secret  league  with  the  revo 
lutionary  spirits  of  Ireland,  thoroughly  read  in  the  poli 
tical  writings  of  Voltaire,  and  a  disciple  of  Kosseau, 
a  more  interesting  and  opportune  period  could  not  have 
presented  itself. 

He  was  still  an  unwilling  witness  to  the  murmurs 
of  the  people.  Confidence  in  the  permanency  of  the 
government  had  not  been  secured  by  the  affections  of 
its  subjects,  and  society  had  received  a  shock  from 
which  it  had  seemed  impossible  to  recover. 

Having  remained  long  enough  to  witness  the  adop 
tion  of  this  new  measure,  Blennerhassett  returned  to 
his  own  country,  in  time  to  escape  the  storm,  which 
prostrated  the  hopes  of  its  friends,  and  destroyed  the 
life  of  the  unfortunate  Louis.  There  were  quite  a 
number  of  the  young  men  of  Ireland  in  France  at 
the  time  of  the  emeute.  Many  of  them  entered  into 
the  spirit  of  the  Revolution  with  great  zest,  and 
endeavored  to  enlist  the  sympathies  of  the  insurgents 
in  their  cause  against  the  oppression  of  England. 


DISAFFECTED  IRELAND.  23 

Among  the  more  noted  of  these  for  their  subsequent 
misfortunes,  were  John  and  Henry  Sheares.  They 
were  natives  of  Cork,  well  educated,  both  lawyers, 
and  of  respectable  parentage.  They  were  present  at 
the  taking  of  the  Bastile,  and  John  was  seen,  on  his 
return  to  Ireland,  to  flourish  with  exultation  a  hand 
kerchief  stained  with  the  blood  of  Louis  XYI.  They 
subsequently  became  involved  in  the  outbreak  in 
1798,  for  which  they  were  prosecuted  for  treason. 
Although  they  were  ably  defended  by  Curran,  they 
were,  nevertheless,  convicted,  and  suffered  the  extreme 
penalty  of  the  law.  Much  dissatisfaction  was  after 
wards  expressed  on  account  of  the  character  of  the 
evidence  upon  which  they  were  found  guilty.  There 
was  but  one  witness,  and  he  a  government  decoy, 
who  had  himself  counseled  more  treason  than  either 
had  ever  conceived. 

But  the  same  spirit  of  discontent  which  prevailed 
in  France  had  extended  to  Ireland.  For  centuries 
had  she  groaned  under  the  oppression  of  England. 
Her  submission  to  the  sceptres  of  Henry  and  of 
Richard  had  been  construed  into  the  right  of  con 
quest;  and  they  sought  to  crush  the  native  spirit 
of  her  people,  by  fomenting  discord  and  exercising 
tyranny.  Ireland  had  been  blessed  with  a  genial  soil. 
Nature  had  lavished  her  brightest  gifts  upon  her. 
The  native  character  of  her  population  was  not  infe 
rior  to  that  of  other  nations.  But  of  what  avail  were 
fertile  fields,  or  gigantic  intellects,  when  national  dis 
organization  and  political  faction  perverted  the  gifts 
of  Providence  to  selfish  purposes,  or  destroyed  their 


24  THE    BLENNERHASSETT    PAPERS. 

usefulness  in  the  general  wreck  of  distracted  govern 
ments  and  divided  subjects  ?  Her  manufacturing  inter 
est  and  commercial  enterprise  struggled  long  against 
the  monopoly  of  England;  but  the  superior  power  of 
her  ruler  enabled  her  to  check  their  prosperity,  by  the 
heavy  hand  of  arbitrary  restraint.  A  deplorable  want 
of  union  of  sentiment,  and  firmness  of  purpose,  at  all 
times  prevented  a  successful  separation  from  her 
powerful  oppressor;  and  every  attempt  to  claim,  her 
independence  proved  vain  and  abortive. 

England,  fearful  of  her  growing  strength,  sought  to 
subdue  her  spirit,  by  onerous  exactions,  and  denying 
her  the  privilege  of  a  free  legislature.  Not  only  against 
Ireland  had  she  exercised  hef*  arbitrary  will,  but  also 
against  the  colonies  of  her  planting  in  North  America. 
Vain  in  the  conceit  of  her  imperial  power,  she  dared 
to  exact  obedience  from  peoples  separated  by  the  wide 
Atlantic,  and  command  the  same  submission  with  which 
the  oppressed  subjects  of  Ireland  had  yielded.  "While 
her  experimental  philosophy  had  taught  her  that  to 
retain  her  authority  she  must  exercise  tyranny,  she  had 
not  reflected  that  there  was  a  point  in  the  system  of  her 
oppression,  where  submission  ceased  to  be  a  virtue. 

The  spirit  of  independence  was  hovering  over  the 
bloody  altar  of  the  American  Revolution,  when  Ire 
land  again  awoke  to  a  sense  of  her  own  condition.  She 
gazed  with  animated  delight  at  the  increasing  success  of 
American  arms.  Every  new  victory  found  a  sympathetic 
influence,  responding  with  joy,  in  the  recesses  of  her  own 
bosom.  The  feeble  colonies  of  America,  spread  over  a 
vast  extent  of  territory,  with  but  few  facilities  for  con- 


LIBERAL    PRINCIPLES    SPREADING.  25 

ducting  a  war,  with  a  hostile  Indian  enemy  in  their  rear, 
and  the  boasted  chivalry  of  England  at  their  front; 
undismayed  by  difficulty  or  the  fear  of  defeat,  after  seven 
years  of  war,  were  finally  victorious.  The  arrogance  of 
England  bowed  its  proud  head  to  the  shrine  of  liberty ; 
and  Lord  Cornwallis,  her  favorite  general,  led  back  the 
relics  of  her  conquered  army,  to  commemorate,  in  the 
mother  country,  the  impotence  of  her  power  and  the 
emancipation  of  her  colonies. 

Before  they  had  well  considered  the  reason  of  their 
solicitude,  the  same  spirit  of  independence  had  animated 
the  Irish  bosom;  and,  in  every  corner  of  her  territory, 
the  fire  of  liberty  burst  forth,  in  a  blaze  that  threatened 
equal  destruction  to  British  usurpation,  and  kingly  gov 
ernment.  The  nation  became  aroused.  English  influ 
ence  and  English  interests  secured  partizans  in  church 
and  state ;  and  opposing  factions,  from  their  intolerance 
and  party  animosity,  had  already  commenced  the  Irish 
revolution. 

.  The  success  of  the  cause  of  liberty  in  the  American 
colonies  affected,  most  sensibly,  the  whole  of  Europe. 
It  appeared,  indeed,  as  though  the  fiat  had  gone  forth, 
that  monarchies  and  despotisms  were  for  ever  to  cease 
from  among  men.  "  Strange  and  unforeseen  events 
were  crowding  the  annals  of  the  world;  the  established 
axioms  of  general  polity  began  to  lose  their  weight 
among  nations ;  and  governments,  widely  wandering 
from  the  fundamental  principles  of  their  own  con 
stitutions,  appeared  carelessly  traveling  the  road  to 
ruin." 

Such  was  the  State  of  Europe;  presenting  an  aspect 


26  THE  'BLENNERHASSETT    PAPERS. 

not  unlike  that  upon  which  we,  of  later  days,  have 
gazed  (and  to  which  we  still  look,  with  feelings  of 
solicitude  and  hope),  when  Blennerhassett  left  the 
unhappy  shores  of  France  for  those,  not  less  discon 
tented,  of  his  native  country. 

Ireland,  it  is  true,  from  the  helpless  situation  of 
England,  at  a  time  w^hen  her  foreign  wars  and  hapless 
defeats  had  exhausted  the  resources  of  that  powerful 
nation,  had  successfully  demanded  the  repeal  of  stat 
ute  sixth  of  George  First,  entitled  "  An  Act  for  the 
better  securing  the  dependency  of  the  kingdom  of  Ire 
land  upon  the  crown  of  Great  Britain ; "  but  her  situa 
tion  was  not  less  distracted  than  before. 

Although  it  was  difficult  to  keep  aloof  from  the  entan 
gling  snares  of  party  strife,  Blennerhassett  chose  rather 
to  pursue  the  more  flowery  paths  of  literature  than  the 
sterner  and  more  rugged  way  of  political  preferment. 
To  a  mind  which  sought  within  itself  for  sources  of 
enjoyment,  the  bustle  and  hurricane  which  reigned 
around  served  to  distract  his  meditations,  and  inter 
rupt  the  pleasure  which,  in  seclusion,  he  had  hoped  to 
find. 

j*>eing  the  possessor  of  an  estate,  with  considerable 
additional  fortune  inherited  at  the  death  of  his  father, 
he  determined  no  longer  to  remain  in  Ireland,  subjected 
to  the  inconvenience  and  danger  which  usually  attend 
the  feuds  of'  faction;  but,  in  some  more  remote  and 
peaceful  region,  where  the  infuriated  mob  and  the 
clamor  of  war  were  never  heard,  he  hoped  to  spend  a 
life  of  repose. 

He  accordingly  disposed  of  his  lands  to  his  relative, 


MARRIAGE    AND    MIGRATION.  .    27 

Mr.  Mullins,  afterward  Baron  Vintry,  and  made  immedi 
ate  preparation  for  departing.  Having  closed  his  busi 
ness  lie  started  for  Kinsale,  a  seaport  in  the  county  of 
Cork,  where  his  sister,  the  consort  of  Lord  Kinsale 
(Baron  de  Courcey),  at  that  time  resided. 

His  estates  had  yielded  him  an  ample  fortune  of  one 
hundred  thousand  dollars.  From  Kinsale  he  proceeded 
to  England,  to  complete  his  arrangements  for  transmit 
ting  it  to  America,  and  supplying  himself  with  his 
necessary  outfits. 

While  here  he  frequently  met  with,  and  finally  became 
affianced  to,  a  Miss  Agnew,  daughter  of  the  Lieutenant- 
Governor  of  the  Isle  of  Man,  and  grand-daughter  of  the 
celebrated  General  of  that  name,  who  fell  at  the  battle 
of  Germantown.  She  was  young,  intelligent,  and  beau 
tiful.  Possessed  of  an  uncommon  degree  of  energy, 
coupled  with  a  temperament  of  romantic  ardor,  she  lis 
tened,  with  captivated  delight,  to  the  fairy  stories  he 
repeated  of  the  far-off  land  in  the  Western  world.  She 
did  not,  therefore,  hesitate  to  consummate  the  nuptials, 
and  link  her  destinies  with  his  in  that  rural  paradise 
which  his  imagination  had  so  vividly  depicted. 

Upon  the  precarious  sea  of  life,  almost  without  com 
pass  or  chart,  Blennerhassett  had  now  launched  his 
adventurous  barque.  The  sudden  truth  flashed  across 
his  mind,  that  he,  too,  was  an  adventurer;  not,  how 
ever,  for  the  gold  of  Peru,  for  discoveries  in  the  material 
world,  or  the  subjugation  of  a  foreign  power.  Gold 
and  honor  were  already  his ;  but  these,  compared  to  the 
revelation  of  truth  in  the  great  volume  of  nature,  to 
the  inquiring  mind,  which  sought  to  unfold  her  hidden  - 


28  THE    BLENNERHASSETT    PAPERS. 

mysteries,  were  but   as   "  sounding  brass   and  tinkling 
cymbal." 

To  him,  that  sea  appeared  serene  and  safe,  with  no 
adverse  winds  to  interrupt  his  onward  course ;  while, 
in  the  dim  distance  of  imagination,  he  descried  that 
shore  of  sweet  repose,  where  the  deceit  and  treachery 
of  man  should  never  disturb  the  quietude  of  a  mind  at 
peace. 


IN    AMERICA,   AT    LAST.  29 


CHAPTER    II. 

HAVING  supplied  himself,  in  London,  with  an  extensive 
library  and  a  philosophical  apparatus,  together  with 
other  materials  deemed  necessary  for  future  use,  Blenn- 
erhassett  shipped  for  IsTew  York  in  1796,  where  he 
remained  for  several  months,  to  study  the  topography 
of  the  country  and  the  character  of  its  inhabitants-. 

An  account  of  the  voyage,  and  description  of  the 
country,  are  entertainingly  given  in  the  following  letter, 
addressed  to  his  nephew,  the  Hon.  Thomas  de  Courcey,* 
afterward  Lord  Kinsale  : 


UTRECHT,  LONG  ISLAND, 

August  ISth,  1796. 

MY  DEAR  TOM:  —  Although  I  feel  that  your  anxiety 
and  my  own  wishes  equally  urge  the  dispatch  of  this  let 
ter,  yet  that  its  end  should  not  be  altogether  unattained, 
I  have  not  only  deferred  beginning  it  since  my  landing 
on  the  1st  instant,  but  shall  probably  conclude  with  a 
date  considerably  distant  from  that  with  which  I  have 
commenced;  for  I  shall  sooner  depend  upon  your  rely 
ing  on  the  chances  in  favor  of  the  safe  issue  of  my  voy 
age,  than  merely  send  you  an  account  of  it  such  a 
distance  as  divides  every  thing  but  our  hearts,  unaccom 
panied  with  some  account  of  things  as  they  shall  strike 
me  in  this  country  from  time  to  time,  which,  as  they 


30  THE   BLENNERHASSETT   PAPERS. 

will  necessarily  affect  my  interests,  will,  I  know,  on  that 
account,  be  more  than  entertaining  to  you.  As  to  our 
passage,  as  nothing  very  material  happened  in  the  course 
of  it,  I  shall  only  tell  you  that  we  made  it  very  tediously, 
that  is,  in  seventy-three  days  from  our  sailing  from 
Gravesend,  till  we  landed  at  E"ew  York.  During  our 
vicissitudes  of  calms  and  adverse  winds,  which,  instead 
of  the  direct  distance,  compelled  us  to  submit  to  a  tra-v 
verse  sailing  of,  I  suppose,  not  less  than  ten  thousand 
miles,  I  was  relieved  from  any  sense  whatever  of  confine 
ment  by  the  variety  and  awfulness  of  nature  in  the 
Western  Ocean,  and  particularly  in  what  is  called  the 
Florida  Gulf  Stream,  together  with  the  almost  daily 
occupation  of  examining,  and  finally,  when  we  made  the 
land,  correcting  the  dead  reckoning  of  the  ship  by  means 
of  two  excellent  instruments,  with  which,  among  others, 
I  provided  myself  in  London ;  the  one  a  Hadley's  sex 
tant,  the  other  a  chronometer  watch,  iriade  by  the  maker 
to  the  British  Board  of  Longitude. 

On  first  setting  my  foot  on  American  soil,  I  was  visited 
with  sensations  which  I  certainly  never  experienced  in 
the  old  country.  With  any  particular  description  of 
these  I  shall  not  trouble  you,  but  while  they  excited 
severe  regrets,  as  I  cast  my  eyes  back  on  the  sea  that 
interposed  so  wide  a  space  between  me  and  the  many 
dear  ties  I  left  behind,  they  soon  after  inspired  more  self 
ish  reflections  to  cheer  me  with  the  contemplation  of  so 
grand  a  barrier  between  me  and  the  malevolence  of  my 
enemies,  while  it  seemed,  at  the  same  time,  the  only 
limit  of  my  natural  and  political  independence.  But 
these  prospects,  I  must  admit,  merely  dawn  at  present ; 


NEW    YORK    IN  '96.  31 

and*  my  expectations  will  not  ripen  under  their  meridian 
heat  till  I  shall  have  acquired  a  landed  property  equal 
to  that  with  which  I  have  parted. 

The  climate,  as  well  as  the  voyage,  which  Maggie  has 
home  well,  has  received  us  kindly,  and  still  continues  to 
treat  us  with  benignity.  The  situation  of  New  York, 
with  which  I  know  Morse  has  acquainted  you,  save  in 
ihe  lower  parts  of  the  town,  where,  from  its  rapid 
increase  in  trade,  and  I  may  say,  the  almost  insular  situ 
ation  of  the  city,  the  inhabitants  have,  for  some  time, 
been  making  new  ground  for  docks,  and  building  lots, 
with  bad  and  filthy  stuff' ;  its  situation,  I  say,  is  provided 
with  almost  every  requisite  to  check,  if  not  destroy,  the 
tendency  of  the  climate  (which  in  spring  and  summer  is 
damp,  and  suddenly  and  violently  variable),  to  produce 
the  intermittent  very  general  here,  and  known  by  the 
name  of  the  fever  and  ague,  which,  to  all  appearance,  is 
the  same  complaint  with  the  ague  in  Europe.  But  the 
severe  heat  generally  prevalent  in  the  months  of  July 
and  August,  raising  the  thermometer  some  days  to  96° ; 
by  its  pernicious  influence  on  the  docks,  and  new  low 
grounds,  renders  it  advisable  for  foreigners  to  retire  to 
the  country.  Principally  upon  this  account,  added  to  a 
severe  handling  from  the  musketoes,  which,  during  our 
stay  in  town,  used  to  come  over  from  the  Jersey  shore, 
opposite  to  which  we  lodged  upon  the  Hudson,  I  removed 
to  this  place  last  Saturday,  where  we  have  joined  a 
tolerably  pleasant  party,  chiefly  of  subscribers,  who  have 
built  a  handsome  house,  with  a  large  room  and  balcony 
in  front,  of  near  seventy  feet  in  length,  and  other  apart 
ments,  containing  about  thirty  good  bed-rooms.  The 


32  THE    BLENNERHASSETT   PAPERS. 

situation  is  pleasant  and  cool  upon  the  shore,  compared 
with  the  town,  from  which  it  is  distant  about  twelve 
miles.  Here  we  shall  remain  till  the  latter  end  of  the 
month,  when  the  heat  will  moderate,  and  I  shall  pass 
through  Jersey  on  my  way  to  Philadelphia.  In  the 
meantime,  I  shall  further  explore  this  Island,  having  as 
yet,  from  the  heat  of  the  weather,  done  almost  nothing 
in  that  way.  But  in  two  or  three  rides  I  have  witnessed 
the  general  poverty  of  the  soil  which,  though  extremely 
shallow  and  sandy,  exhibits  a  beautiful  diversity  of  cul 
tivated  country,  in  the  appearance  of  large  and  well 
fenced  fields  of  cucumbers,  musk  and  water-melons,  with 
plenty  of  apple  and  peach  orchards.  The  peaches, 
though  no  more  attended  to  than  your  wildings  in 
Kerry,  have  as  good  a  flavor  as  the  best  ever  produced 
at  E.een.  Judge  then  what  a  garden  I  look  to  in  a  better 
soil  and  climate.  Grapes  are  universal,  but  seem  totally 
neglected  except  for  pies,  though  I  am  persuaded  they 
might  even  here  be  brought  to  perfection.  Indian  corn 
is  so  much  the  staple  of  consumption  on  this  island,  that 
it  alone  is  called  corn,  every  other  species  of  grain  being 
distinguished  by  its  proper  name.  The  farmers,  nine 
out  of  ten  Dutch,  or  their  descendants,  are  not  only 
comfortable  but  rich.  And  though  the  state  of  agri 
culture  among  them  is  ridiculed  by  the  Anglo-Americans 
for  its  backwardness,  there  is  not  an  acre  of  land 
between  this  place  and  ISTew  York  (from  the  easy  vent 
which  the  latter  offers  for  the  above-mentioned  produce, 
with  garden  stuff,  and  perhaps  a  few  other  articles),  that 
does  not  annually  bring  in  from  £25  to  £30  of  this 
currency,  the  dollar  being  eight  shillings  here.  Hence 


EARLY    POLITICS.  33 

I  need  scarcely  tell  you  that  land  is  extremely  dear.  I 
have  it  from  good  authority,  that,  in  the  back  parts 
of  the  State,  capital  has  been,  within  these  five  years 
past,  uniformly  doubled  every  two  years  by  the  purchase 
and  re-sale  of  small  lots  of  military  lands. 

You  remember  the  advantages  this  State  possesses  in 
being  the  best  watered  in  the  Union,  both  by  nature  and 
art,  and,  accordingly,  all  its  waste  lands  are  settling  with 
surprising  rapidity,  chiefly  from  New  England.  These 
accounts,  nevertheless,  shall  not,  at  present,  seduce  me 
into  any  purchases  here,  because  the  British  funds  have 
fallen  considerably  since  I  purchased  into  them,  and 
there  is  now  less  than  a  twelvemonth  to  run  of  the  pres 
ent  Presidency. 

It  seems  to  be  the  general  opinion  of  the  few  informed 
acquaintances  I  have  yet  been  able  to  make  (most  of  the 
persons  to  whom  I  am  here  addressed  having  retreated 
for  the  summer  in  different  directions,  into  the  country), 
that  Washington  will  not  stand  as  candidate  again,  and 
that  there  will  be  a  severe  contest  between  the  North 
and  the  South ;  the  former  straining  every  nerve  to  elect 
Adams,  the  latter  making  equal  exertions  in  behalf  of 
Jefferson.  The  expected  struggle  is  regarded  by  both 
sides  with  eager  anxiety,  while  maneuvering  is  practiced 
by  both  parties  to  the  degree  even  of  multiplying  the 
States.  To  explain  this  : — You  will  probably  have  seen, 
by  the  papers,  that  a  sixteenth  State,  viz.,  that  part  of 
the  territory  South-West  of  the  Ohio,  called  the  Tennes 
see  country,  has,  in  the  last  session  of  Congress,  been 
admitted,  by  virtue  of  the  amount  of  its  population, 
into  the  Union.  Now  it  is  insinuated  in  the  Northern 
3 


34  THE    BLENNERHASSETT    PAPERS. 

and  Middle  States,  where  Adams  is  the  favorite,  and  by 
whose  preponderancy  he  would  probably  succeed,  that 
the  admission  of  Tennessee  was  obtained  through  a  false 
census.  However,  this  objection,  whether  true  or  not, 
now  comes  too  late.  The  business  is  done.  But,  in  order 
to  effect  a  counterpoise,  the  District  of  Maine  is  to  be 
separated  from  Massachusetts.  So  when  you  see  this 
event  also  in  the  papers,  you  will  know  how  to  construe 
the  real  motives  for  erecting  the  district  of  Maine  into  a 
separate  State,  out  of  the  ostensible  reasons  set  forth  for 
the  measure. 

In  the  midst  of  these  transactions  I  have  had  an 
opportunity  of  witnessing  the  attachment  of  both  par 
ties  to  the  real  interests  of  the  country,  though  they 
reciprocally  launch  the  imputations  of  aristocracy  and 
democracy  against  each  other;  and  the  candor  on  the 
one  side  in  allowing  the  superiority  of  Jefferson's  tal 
ents,  is  equalled  by  the  honesty  on  the  other  in  admit 
ting  that  Adams  has  done  more  for  America  than  his 
opponent.  Still,  the  administration  of  the  new  Presi 
dent,  if  not  his  election,  will,  in  my  opinion,  as  seems 
granted  indeed,  operate  as  a  test  of  the  constitution,  to 
confound  or  confirm  the  idea  in  Europe,  that  Mr.  Wash 
ington  is,  alone,  in  America,  the  preserving  cement  of 
order  and  good  government;  and,  at  all  events,  the 
period  will  operate  a  crisis  which  I  shall  in  prudence 
abide,  before  I  settle  the  whole  of  my  property  on  this 
side  of  the  Atlantic. 

Upon  this  account,  alone,  I  have  said  so  much  upon 
general  politics ;  from  which,  however,  you  must  not 
infer  that  I  do  not  see  more  than  equal  security  of  pri- 


EARLY    TRADE.  35 

vate  property  with  any  that  can  be  boasted  in  Europe, 
where  the  many  have  nothing  to  lose,  compared  with 
the  proprietary  interest;  but,  in  this  country,  there  is 
no  peasantry. 

In  the  meantime  speculations  of  every  possible  sort 
are  driven  forward  daily,  I  think,  so  far,  unhappily,  as 
they  induce  a  species  of  gambling;  for  one-half  must 
ever  lose,  at  every  sort  of  play,  while  the  advantages  of 
regular  trade,  being  reciprocal,  all  parties  are  benefited. 
These  speculations  are  commercial,  properly  so  called — 
and  landed.  I  shall  give  you  an  example  or  two  of 
each.  ~No  adventures  in  the  former  line  have  been 
more  weighty  or  enterprising  than  in  the  article  of 
flour.  This  I  call  a  speculation,  because  flour  is  no 
natural  subject  of  trade  between  America  and  Europe, 
since  the  latter  can  always  raise  enough  for  consump 
tion;  but  ideas  of  its  partial  scarcity  in  England  and 
France,  during  the  war,  have  so  engaged  the  merchant 
and  farmer,  that  both  have  for  the  most  part  been  ruined 
within  these  last  eight  months,  the  former  on  his  disas 
trous  returns  at  a  full  third  below  first  cost,  having  only 
to  condole  with  the  latter  still  keeping  his  granaries  shut 
up,  for  he  has  now  no  market  but  the  home;  the  arti 
cle  having  there  too  fallen  near  six  dollars  in  the  barrel. 
Hence  you  will  not  be  surprised  to  learn  the  extravagant 
prices  of  the  necessaries  of  life,  and  the  high  rates  of 
wages,  which  have  not  yet  come  down  in  proportion  to 
the  wholesale  fall.  Men-servants  still  have  twelve  dol 
lars  a  month.  Masons,  at  New  York  and  Philadelphia, 
from  sixteen  to  twenty  shillings  a  day ;  carpenters,  a  shil 
ling  less,  and  both,  in  country  situations,  according  to 


36  THE    BLENNERHASSETT    PAPERS. 

the  distance  from  these  cities,  may  be  had  from  one  to 
five  or  six  shillings  less.  House-rent,  also,  still  keeps  up 
enormously ;  a  two-roomed  house,  according  to  its  situa 
tion,  fetching  from  £150  to  £250  in  these  towns,  of  New 
York  currency.  To  estimate  the  rate  of  other  necessa 
ries,  I  shall  send  you  a  price  current,  which  you  must 
understand  hy  adding  ahout  a  third  to  every  article  for 
each  hand  through  which  it'  passes  before  it  reaches  the 
consumer.  While  the  above  speculations  in  grain  and 
flour  have  been  going  forward,  latterly,  with  such  ill 
success,  others  have  distinguished  this  country.  Of  these 
the  East  India  trade  is  the  most  considerable ;  commenced 
under  every  disadvantage  to  be  apprehended  from  the 
great  capitals,  and  old  companies  of  Europe.  Yet,  has  it 
grown  to  a  size  that  now  begins  to  alarm  men's  minds, 
for  the  great  draught  of  specie  it  drains  from  America, 
and  a  conviction  of  the  inferiority,  notwithstanding  the 
cheapness  of  the  India  returns,  except  sugar  and  nan 
keens,  compared  with  the  linen  articles  of  wear,  which 
were  more  in  use  before  from  Europe.  But  adventure 
has  not  stopped  here.  Some  time  last  summer,  a  Yankee, 
at  a  little  town  in  the  State  of  Massachusetts,  learning 
the  times  were  mortally  sickly  at  Port  au  Prince,  con 
ceived  a  scheme  of  sending  there  a  cargo  of — coffins. 
Those  commodities  were  made  up  in  nests  of  sizes,  from 
the  largest  to  those  for  infants ;  and,  that  no  room  should " 
be  lost,  the  inner  coffin  of  the  nest  was  packed  with 
cakes  of — gingerbread.  I  have  only  to  add,  that  the 
speculation  turned  out  a  capital  hit, — our  Yankee  having 
actually  returned  full  freighted  with  the  best  West  India 
produce,  in  return  for  his  timber. 


LAND    SPECULATIONS.  37 

Now  for  the  land  hits.  These  are  going  on  every  day, 
not  only  in  England,  but  even  in  America,  on  principles 
no  better  than  horse-jockeying.  In  this  play,  also,  many 
fortunes  are  made  and  lost,  the  adventurers  purchasing 
on  credit,  and  a  presumption  of  re-selling  within  a  certain 
time  their  former  acquisitions,  at  an  advance  equivalent 
to  enable  them  to  make  good  their  former  engagements. 
But  they  have  found  their  calculations  to  exceed  dread 
fully  the  capital  settling  this  country  from  Europe,  and 
now  the  paper  of  a  Mr.  Morris,  of  Philadelphia,  who,  in 
the  last  war,  had  more  credit  than  the  Union  altogether, 
is  selling  at  4s.  6d.  in  the  pound,  though  he  still  con 
tinues  proceeding  with  a  house  that  can  not  cost  less 
than  £200,000.  There  is  not  one  cipher  too  many. 
Hence,  you'll  perceive,  there  is  yet  no  bankruptcy  sys 
tem  established.  Congress  yet  fear  to  cramp  industry 
and  enterprise  in  the  young  country  for  which  they  legis 
late,  or  to  open  a  door  to  commercial  fraud  by  any 
attempt  of  that  sort,  which,  in  the  present  state  of  the 
community,  they  wisely  imagine  would  prove  upon  trial 
too  lax  or  too  rigid.  And  for  my  part,  from  the  little  I 
have  yet  seen,  I  can  not  but  approve  of  their  wisdom  in 
leaving  the  creditor  in  a  situation  to  see  his  debtor's 
knees  begin  to  tremble,  rather  than  run  the  risk  of 
bringing  both  to  the  ground  together. 

You  must  perceive  then  from  what  has  been  said,  that 
there  must  be  an  infinity  of  land  of  every  quality  and 
situation  in  the  market,  and  yet  Congress  have  adver 
tised  some  townships  to  be  sold  at  auction  next  January, 
which,  upon  full  deliberation,  they  have  resolved  shall 
not  be  put  up  at  less  than  two  dollars  an  acre.  There  is 


38  THE    BLENNERHASSETT   PAPEKS. 

however,  an  increase  of  wealth  annually  flowing  into 
the  country,  unequaled  in  the  annals  of  any  other,  from 
emigrations.  These  I  can  not  now  exactly  estimate,  but 
their  effects  are  visible,  in  the  increase  of  settlements  in 
every  direction,  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Ohio  and 
Mississippi.  Witness  the  population  of  Kentucky  (now 
considered  almost  an  old  country),  swollen  to  73,677,  and 
even  of  Tennessee,  to  77,262.  In  this  track  I  am  now 
preparing  to  set  forward,  but  can  not  say  how  long  I 
shall  be  anywhere  stationary  for  a  month  before  the  next 
fall,  at  which  time,  after  having  explored  Kentucky, 
Tennessee,  and  the  Miami  country,  concerning  all  of 
which  you  shall  hear  the  particulars  in  due  time.  I 
shall  return  through  the  wilderness  by  Virginia,  if  a 
settlement  does  not  arrest  me  in  the  way.  But  I  must 
postpone  for  the  present  any  further  particulars  of  my 
route  to  the  "West,  on  account  of  the  remaining  remarks 
I  have  to  make  on  those  parts  of  the  country  which  I 
have  seen  since  I  began  this  letter,  with  which  I  am  now 
proceeding  at  Philadelphia. 

On  our  return  from  Long  Island,  we  were  received 
at  Xew  York,  as  well  by  the  acquaintances  we  made 
without  as  by  those  to  whom  we  had  introductions  from 
England,  more  in  a  parental  and  brotherly  way  than 
in  a  manner  you  would  call  polite  or  elegant.  European 
etiquette  is  not  yet  prevalent,  or  it  is  that  which  reigned 
on  the  other  side  of  the  water,  at  least  half  a  century 
back,  but  toward  the  particular  style  of  English  dress, 
both  sexes  have  made  greater  advances.  But  these 
matters,  with  the  state  of  domestic  economy,  I  shall 
leave  for  Maggie  to  describe.  After  some  days  stay  in 


39 

and  about  New  York,  we  set  out  for  Newark,  in  New 
Jersey.  On  our  way  two  objects  were  conspicuously 
impressive  in  a  distance  of  only  ten  miles  from  our 
outset.  The  first,  a  swamp,  through  which  we  passed, 
three  miles  in  a  direct  line  over  a  well-made  new  road. 
This  swamp  was  not  merely  remarkable  from  its  being 
the  first  I  had  seen,  but  from  a  hill  of  solid  land,  called 
Snake-hill,  thickly  wooded,  which  rises  with  almost 
perpendicular  declivity  to  a  hight  in  the  center,  that  in 
an  Englishman's  eyes,  would  merit  the  name  of  a  moun 
tain.  When  I  say  that  the  moment  you  could  reach  the 
base  of  this  mount,  in  descending  toward  the  plain,  you 
would  find  far  less  footing  than  in  an  Irish  shaking-bog, 
Snake-hill  will  be  regarded  by  you,  as  it  has  been  by  me, 
a  lusus  natures  of  no  small  magnitude. 

The  next  object,  a  production  of  art,  was  the  bridge 
over  the  Hackinsack,  to  which  may  be  added  that  over 
the  Passaic  river,  both  about  three  hundred  yards  in 
length,  which  unite  neatness  and  strength  of  work 
manship  to  an  extent  in  timber  that  might  well  invite  an 
European  ten  miles  out  of  his  road.  The  expense  of 
erecting  each  of  these,  I  conclude,  from  the  account 
I  have  had  of  a  similar  one  I  have  since  crossed  at 
Brunswick,  over  the  Raritan,  to  be  £30,000  Pennsylvania 
currency.  Newark  possessed  sufficient  attractions  within 
itself  to  induce  me  to  tarry  there  for  some  days?  even 
if  I  had  not  resolved  to  do  so  for  the  sake  of  visiting  the 
Passaic  Falls,  about  fifteen  miles  off  the  main  road. 

Newark,  if  considered  as  a  village,  which  it  more 
resembles  than  a  town,  is  perhaps  the  handsomest  in  the 
world.  Of  extent,  nearly  three  miles ;  it  is  seated  in  a 


40  THE    BLEXXEHIIASSETT    PAPERS. 

plain,  clear  and  level  as  a  parlor  floor,  on  the  banks 
of  the  Passaic,  in  an  amphitheater  environed  by  gently 
swelling  hills.  Its  Academy,  Court-house,  and  two  neat 
buildings  for  public  worship,  added  to  nine  stages, 
which,  besides  an  infinity  of  wagons,  every  day  pass 
through  it  between  New  York  and  Philadelphia,  give 
an  air  of  business  and  gaiety  to  the  place.  It  is  also  the 
residence  of  many  private  families  of  respectability, 
with  some  of  whom  we  were  previously  well  enough 
acquainted  to  be  entertained  longer  than  we  chose  to 
remain  there.  Land  is  here,  within  five  miles  round, 
from  £30  to  £40  an  acre,  New  York  currency. 

The  Passaic  Falls,  as  they  differ,  I  fancy,  from  all, 
others  in  America,  will  always  invite  and  entertain  the 
naturalist.  Their  peculiarity  arises  from  a  fissure  in  the 
bed  of  the  river,  which  is  of  solid  rock,  cleft  in  an 
oblique  direction  to  a  depth  of  eighty  feet.  The  river 
meanders  a  considerable  way  in  a  serene  current  without 
a  murmur,  till  it  reaches  the  chasm  where  it  falls  with 
the  majesty  of  thunder,  and  forever  throws  up  a  spray 
that,  when  interposed  between  the  eye  and  the  sun, 
exhibits  an  assemblage  of  rainbows  of  the  most  fantastic 
beauty. 

From  Newark  to  Philadelphia,  I  have  only  to  remark 
the  general  sandy  and  poor  appearance  of  the  soil 
through  Jersey  State,  which,  however,  is  regarded  as 
one  of  the  best  cultivated  in  the  Union,  and  this  indeed 
appears  in  the  large  extent  of  its  corn  country,  and  other 
agricultural  improvements  which,  by  trimming  its  tim 
ber,  have  rendered  it  sufficiently  champaign  to  have 
caused  it,  during  the  late  war,  to  be  exposed  to  the 


AMATEUR   IMPRESSIONS.  41 

constant  harrassings  of  the  British.  In  this  route  I 
passed,  with  pleasing  reflections,  over  the  memorable 
grounds  of  Brunswick,  Princeton  and  Trenton.  At  the 
latter  place  I  crossed  the  Delaware,  in  sight  of  the  spot 
where  Providence,  or  his  happy  fortune,  gave  the  Presi 
dent  and  America  that  confidence  in  the  issue  of  the 
contest,  wherein  the  Hessians  were  surprised,  which,  to 
save  the  country,  could  not  have  been  delayed  for  a  day. 
On  this  side  of  the  Delaware  industry  seemed  to  stride, 
rather  than  to  saunter,  as  she  did,  comparatiYely  speak 
ing,  in  the  States  of  Jersey  and  New  York.  Here,  after 
traveling  in  every  direction  over  the  soil,  which  yet  she 
has  not  deserted,  you  may  trace  her  footsteps  not  only 
under  the  earth,  but  from  thence  upward  through  all 
the  stages  of  manufacture  wood  has  yet  passed  in  any 
country,  and  iron  full  one-half  as  far  as  it  has  reached  in 
England.  Of  the  extent  of  cotton,  linen  and  wool, 
throughout  the  country,  I  can  not  yet  positively  speak. 
A  considerable  capital  has  been  embarked  at  Patterson, 
near  the  Passaic  Falls,  in  the  cotton  line ;  but  it  has 
altogether  failed  from  a  variety  of  causes,  which,  1  think, 
independent  of  the  long  credits  given  in  Europe,  and 
the  vast  wilds  here  doomed  for  half  a  century  yet  to 
howl  for  population,  will  so  long,  at  least,  frustrate  all 
attempts  at  adventure  in  the  three  last  mentioned 
branches  of  trade. 

The  approach  to  Philadelphia,  in  this  line,  announces 
more  a  large  busy  city  to  which  it  leads,  than  any  of 
those  that  surround  New  York;  yet,  from  the  detail  of 
business  I  have  before  and  since  seen  in  both,  assisted  by 
a  commercial  view  of  the  continent,  it  is  pretty  apparent 


42  THE    BLENNERHASSETT    PAPERS. 

that  the  latter  place  is  treading  hard  on  the  heels  of  the 
former  already,  and  will  soon  step  it  by.  At  present, 
however,  you  see  more  stir  at  Philadelphia,  more  bustle 
in  the  streets,  and  far  more  English  activity  in  both  sexes. 
I  inclose  you  a  plan  of  the  city,  which,  with  fewer  defects 
than  any  I  know  of,  seems  to  have  been  conceived  by 
Penn,  upon  the  best  principles  to  suit  the  climate,  and 
provide  for.  the  health,  while  it  accommodates  the  busi 
ness,  of  the  inhabitants.  So  much  for  Philadelphia. 

The  only  great  person  I  regret  not  having  become 
acquainted  with  is  the  President.  He  unfortunately  set 
off  for  home  two  days  after  my  arrival,  which  prevented 
my  attending  his  leve*e ;  but  the  day  before  his  departure 
we  were  so  fortunate  as  to  be  seated  at  church  in  the  pew 
opposite  to  him.  Adieu,  my  dear  nephew,  and  believe  me, 
Your  ever  affectionate  uncle, 

H.  BLENNERHASSETT. 

P.  S. — Maggie  will  speak  for  herself. 

At  that  time,  the  territory  west  of  the  Alleghanies, 
particularly  the  valley  of  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi,  was 
comparatively  a  wilderness.  The  enterprise  of  the  pio 
neer  had  driven,  to  more  distant  regions,  the  aborigines 
of  the  West.  The  occasional  hamlet,  with  its  few 
acres  of  cultivated  ground,  interrupted,  at  intervals,  the 
"  boundless  contiguity  of  shade,"  and  marked  the  abode 
of  civilized  and  associated  man.  Villages,  with  rude 
habitations,  here  and  there,  broke  the  silence  of  the 
forest,  and  presented  the  cheering  signs  of  dawning  civi 
lization.  Through  this  vast  solitude,  the  silvery  .current 
of  the  Ohio  wended  its  way  to  the  "  father  of  waters." 


IX    THE   WEST.  43 

The  innovating  steamer  had  never  yet  ruffled  its  bosom, 
nor  startled  its  inhabitants  with  the  sound  of  its  machin 
ery.  The  deer  browsed  among  the  thick  undergrowth  of 
its  bottoms ;  the  fox  sought  shelter  in  its  caves ;  and  the 
wail  of  the  wolf  was  heard  from  the  adjacent  hills. 
Lands  of  almost  inexhaustible  fertility  skirted  its  mar 
gin,  and  isles  of  peculiar  beauty  decked  its  surface. 

Captivated  with  various  descriptions  of  the  country,  in 
company  with  his  wife,  Blennerhassett  set  out  to  seek 
this  delightful  land.  Crossing  the  rugged  barriers  of  the 
Alleghanies,  then  a  tedious  and  difficult  undertaking, 
they  arrived  at  Pittsburgh  in  the  fall  of  1796.  Here  they 
obtained  passage  on  a  keel-boat,  in  those  days  the  most 
comfortable  mode  of  traveling  on  the  western  waters, 
and  shortly  arrived  at  Marietta,  a  town  of  greater 
importance  than  any  other  in  the  State  of  Ohio. 

The  population  of  this  pleasantly-situated  village  was 
unusually  intelligent  and  moral.  The  puritanical  charac 
ter  of  its  earlier  inhabitants  gave  a  tone  to  society,  which 
identifies  the  present  generation  with  their  fathers  who 
repose  in  their  beautiful  cemetery. 

Fully  satisfied  with  the  attractiveness  of  the  country, 
Blennerhassett  abandoned  his  contemplated  explorations 
of  Kentucky  and  Tennessee,  and  resolved  to  locate  in 
this  enterprising  settlement. 

During  the  winter  his  time  was  pleasantly  occupied 
in  visiting  the  various  families,  and  making  occasional 
excursions  through  the  neighborhood,  to  select  a  site  for 
a  residence.  Above  the  village,  and  within  a  convenient 
distance,  is  an  eminence  of  considerable  height,  com 
manding  an  extensive  view  of  the  river  and  surrounding 


44  THE   BLENNERHASSETT    PAPERS. 

scenery.  With  this  situation  he  was  much  pleased,  and 
had  almost  determined  to  erect  on  its  summit  a  castle, 
after  the  manner  of  many  in  his  native  country ;  but  the 
ascent  being  difficult,  and  the  declivities  too  precipitous, 
he  abandoned  the  idea,  and  sought  a  situation  more  easy 
of  access. 

The  following  spring,  he  purchased  an  island  in 
the  Ohio  river,  about  two  miles  below  Parkersburg,  or 
the  mouth  of  the  Little  Kanawha,  which,  to  his  pecu 
liar  mind,  possessed  superior  advantages  to  the  adja 
cent  farm.  To  one  of  romantic  temperament,  its  locality 
was  truly  delightful.  Upon  its  sloping  banks  waved  the 
branches  of  the  willow,  and  laved  their  foliage  in  the 
passing  stream.  The  majestic  forest  trees,  untouched  by 
the  hand  of  civilization,  reared  their  trunks,  as  monarchs 
of  the  land ;  while  the  wild-brier  and  woodbine,  blending 
in  promiscuous  profusion,  entwined  their  tendrils  around 
the  shrubbery  of  the  wild-wood.  Flowers  of  rare  beauty 
burst  spontaneously  from  the  soil,  and  mingled  their  fra 
grance  with  the  passing  breeze.  The  feathery  songsters 
warbled  their  notes  in  the  secluded  groves,  making  vocal 
each  branch  with  nature's  music. 

Could  the  mind,  in  pursuit  of  seclusion  and  repo&e, 
picture  to  its  imagination  a  situation  more  desirable? 
Here  might  his  cultivated  taste  adorn,  to  every  extent, 
the  ruder  touches  of  nature,  and  mellow  into  softer 
shades  the  harsher  outlines  of  her  pencil;  here  might 
the  mind,  unfettered  from  worldly  cares,  drink  deeper 
draughts  from  Truth's  ever-flowing  fountain;  here, 

"At  the  shadowy  close  of  day, 
When  the  hushed  grove  has  sung  its  parting  lay; 


ON    THE    ISLAND.  45 

When  pensive  Twilight,  in  her  dusty  car, 

Comes  slowly  on,  to  meet  the  evening  star, 

Above,  below,  aerial  murmurs  swell, 

From  hanging  wood,  brown  heath,  and  bushy  dell 

A  thousand  nameless  rills  that  shun  the  light; 

Stealing  soft  music  on  the  ear  of  night ; 

So  oft  the  finer  movements  of  the  soul, 

That  shun  the  sphere  of  pleasure's  gay  control, 

In  the  still  shades  of  calm  seclusion  rise, 

And  breathe  their  sweet,  seraphic  harmonies." 

When  fatigued  with  the  severer  studies  of  science,  he 
could  amuse  himself  with  the  traditions  and  stories  of 
several  intelligent  revolutionary  soldiers  who  resided  on 
the  Belpr6  shore ;  or,  as  game  abounded,  might  engage 
in  the  delightful  sports  of  hunting  and  fishing. 

That  portion  of  the  island  purchased  by  Blennerhas- 
sett,  was  known  by  the  familiar  cognomen  of  "  Backus's 
Island,"  and  contained  about  one  hundred  and  seventy 
acres.  General  Washington,  it  is  said,  embraced  this 
gem  of  nature,  in  the  many  valuable  tracts  of  land 
entered  by  him  on  the  bottoms  of  the  Ohio. 

In  1798,  Blennerhassett,  having  purchased  the  upper 
portion  of  the  island,  at  a  cost  of  four  thousand  five 
hundred  dollars,  moved  into  a  block-house  situated  near 
the  head.  This,  to  those  who  had  enjoyed  the  splendor 
of  palaces,  with  the  many  conveniences  which  the  arts 
of  civilization  afford,  was  a  sorrowful  exchange  which 
few  could  desire,  and  fewer  still  would  have  made.  He 
energetically  commenced  clearing  the  grounds  of  the 
thick  growth  of  timber  and  underwood,  for  a  site  upon 
which  to  erect  a  dwelling.  Many  hands  were  requisite, 
in  addition  to  the  slaves  he  had  recently  purchased,  for 


46  THE    BLENNERHASSETT    PAPERS. 

the  laborious  task.  The  forest  trees  were  uprooted,  and 
their  boughs  and  trunks  conveyed  away.  The  small 
inequalities,  not  suiting  his  fastidiousness,  were  smoothed 
and  regulated  as  fancy  dictated. 

Vainly  ambitious  to  excel  any  private  residence  west 
of  the  mountains,  and  to  fashion  it  after  those  of  his 
own  country,  economy  and  simplicity  were  not  consulted 
in  its  construction.  "  The  house  and  offices  I  occupy," 
he  writes  Devereux,  the  Irish  patriot  refugee,  "  stand  me 
in  upward  of  thirty  thousand  dollars,  not  mentioning 
gardens  and  shrubbery,  in  the  English  style,  hedges,  post 
fences,  and  complete  farm-yards,  containing  barns,  sta 
bles,  overseers'  and  negro  houses,"  etc. 

To  the  mind  of  the  voyager  descending  the  river,  as 
the  edifice  rose  majestically  in  the  distance,  spreading  its 
wings  to  either  shore,  the  effect  was  magical ;  and 
emotions  were  produced,  not  unlike  those  experienced 
in  gazing  on  the  Moorish  palaces  of  Andalusia.  There 
was  a  spell  of  enchantment  around  it,  which  would  fain 
induce  the  credulous  to  believe  that  it  had  been  created 
by  magic,  and  consecrated  to  the  gods.  On  a  nearer 
approach,  was  observed  the  beautifully  graded  lawn, 
decked  with  tasteful  shrubbery,  and  interspersed  with 
showy  flowers;  while,  a  little  in  the  distance,  the  elm 
threw  its  dark  branches  over  a  carpet  of  most  beautiful 
green  sward.  Beyond  these,  the  forest  trees  were  inter 
mingled  with  copse-wood,  so  closely  as  to  exclude  the 
noon-day  sun ;  and,  in  other  places,  they  formed  those 
long  sweeping  vistas,  in  the  intricacies  of  which  the  eye 
delights  to  lose  itself;  while  the  imagination  co'nceives 
them  as  the  paths  of  wilder  scenes  of  sylvan  solitude. 


BLENNERHASSETT'S  SEAT.  47 

The  space  immediately  in  the  rear  of  the  dwelling  was 
assigned  to  fruits  and  flowers;  of  which  the  varieties 
were  rare,  excellent  and  beautiful;  and  the  manner  in 
which  they  were  disposed  over  the  surface,  unique,  ele 
gant  and  tasteful.  Espaliers  of  peach,  apricot,  quince 
and  pear  trees,  extended  along  the  exterior,  confined  to  a 
picket  fence;  while,  in  the  middle  space,  wound  laby 
rinthine  walks,  skirted  with  flowering  shrubs,  and  the 
eglantine  and  honey-suckle  flung  their  melliferous  blos 
soms  over  bowers  of  various  forms. 

On  the  south  was  the  vegetable  garden,  and  adjoining 
this,  a  thrifty  young  orchard,  embracing  many  varieties 
of  fruit,  promising  abundant  supplies  for  future  use. 
Not  entirely  neglecting  the  useful  for  the  ornamental,  a 
hundred  acres  had  been  cleared  where  were  cultivated 
the  various  crops  adapted  to  the  soil.* 

*  The  Lower  Kanawha  is  one  hundred  and  fifty  yards  wide  at  its  mouth. 
Opposite  to  this  river  is  the  town  of  Belpre,  three  miles  from  which  is 
Backus's  Island.  On  leaving  Marietta,  a  lady  and  gentleman,  who  had 
been  on  a  visit  there,  desired  a  passage  to  the  island.  This  request  was, 
with  much  pleasure,  granted ;  and  I  had  only  to  lament  that  the  voyage 
was  so  short,  which  was  to  terminate  my  acquaintance  with  persons  so 
truly  interesting  and  amiable.  The  island  hove  in  sight  to  great  advan 
tage  from  the  middle  of  the  river,  from  which  point  of  view  little  more 
appeared  than  the  simple  decorations  of  nature — trees,  shrubs,  and  flowers 
of  every  perfume  and  kind.  The  next  point  of  view,  on  running  with  the 
current,  on  the  right  hand  side,  varied  to  a  scene  of  enchantment ;  a  lawn 
in  the  form  of  a  fan  inverted  presented  itself,  the  nut  forming  the  center 
and  summit  of  the  island,  and  the  broad  segment  the  borders  of  the  water. 
The  lawn  contained  one  hundred  acres  of  the  best  pasture,  interspersed 
with  flowering  shrubs  and  clumps  of  trees,  in  a  manner  that  conveyed 
a  strong  conviction  of  the  taste  and  judgment  of  the  proprietor.  The 
house  came  into  view  at  the  instant  I  was  signifying  a  wish  that  such  a 
lawn  had  a  mansion.  It  stands  on  the  immediate  summit  of  the  island, 
whose  ascent  is  very  gradual,  is  snow  white,  two  stories  high,  and  fur 
nished  with  wings  which  interlock  the  adjoining  trees,  confine  the 


48  THE    BLENNERHASSETT    PAPERS. 

Such  was  the  residence  of  Blennerhassett,  after  he  had 
expended  much  labor  and  money  to  render  it  the  reality 
of  what  before  was  but  ideal,  an  image  of  which  had 
long  haunted  his  dreams  of  youthful  fancy,  as  the  picture 
of  sylvan  beauty,  of  peaceful  solitude,  and  of  calm 
repose.  How  marked  the  mutations  of  a  few  short 
years  !  Ireland,  but  as  yesterday,  claimed  him  as  a 
representative  of  one  of  her  great  families,  and  the 
uncompromising  advocate  of  her  long  neglected  rights. 
The  deference,  due  alike  to  rank  and  birth,  in  a  monarch 
ical  government,  was  his  by  inheritance ;  and  the  favor 


prospect,  and  intercept  the  sight  of  barns,  stables,  and  out-houses,  which 
are  so  often  suffered  to  destroy  the  effect  of  the  noblest  views  in  England. 
The  full  front  of  the  house,  being  the  signal  for  pulling  in  for  the  island, 
we  did  so  immediately,  and  fell  below  a  small  wharf  that  covered  an  eddy, 
and  made  the  landing  both  easy  and  secure.  There  was  no  resisting  the 
friendly  importunity  of  my  passengers ;  no  excuse  would  be  taken ;  to 
stop  the  night  at  least  was  insisted  upon,  and  with  a  convincing  expression 
that  the  desire  flowed  from  hearts  desirous  not  to  be  refused.  There  is 
something  so  irresistible  in  invitations  of  such  a  nature,  that  they  can  not 
be  denied.  I  gave  instructions  respecting  my  boat;  and  giving  the  lady 
my  arm,  we  walked  up  the  beautiful  lawn,  through  which  a  winding  path 
led  to  the  house.  It  was  tea-time;  that  refreshment  was  served  and  con 
ducted  with  a  propriety  and  elegance  which  I  never  witnessed  out  of 
Britain.  The  conversation  was  chaste  and  general,  and  the  manners  of 
the  lady  and  gentleman  were  refined,  without  being  frigid ;  distinguished, 
without  being  ostentatious ;  and  familiar,  without  being  vulgar,  importu 
nate,  or  absurd.  Before  the  entire  decline  of  day,  we  walked  in  the  gar 
dens,  which  were  elegantly  laid  out  in  your  country's  style,  produced 
remarkably  fine  vegetables,  and  had  a  very  favorable  show  of  standard 
peaches  and  other  fruits.  We  next  turned  into  the  woods.  I  soon  per 
ceived  why  the  island  was  named  Bacchus.  The  island  took  its  cognomen 
from  the  gentleman  of  whom  it  was  purchased.  It  abounds  with  vines 
which  grow  to  great  hight  and  strength,  but  never  produce  to  any  perfec 
tion.  The  path  we  had  taken  led  to  the  water,  the  border  of  which  brought 
us  to  the  boat,  where,  it  seems,  all  the  servants  of  the  family  had  assem 
bled  to  hear  what  news  my  people  might  have  brought  into  their  little 
world.  '  We  found  them  seated  on  the  green  around  Mindeth,  who,  proud 


DOMESTICITY.  49 

of  courts  and  of  coronets  was  obtained  without  an  effort, 
and  resigned  without  control.  Around  him,  a  restless 
and  distracted  population  were  daily  enacting  scenes  of 
outrage  and  oppression ;  and  the  hand  of  civilization, 
while  it  gave  energy  to  intellect,  and  advanced  the  arts 
and  sciences,  proved  a  powerful  auxiliary  in  aggravating 
the  causes,  and  perpetuating  the  scenes  of  the  revolution. 
To-day  we  view  him  as  the  retired  citizen  of  a  republic, 
in  the  bosom  of  the  forest  of  the  Western  world,  with 
no  tie  of  kindred,  save  the  faithful  companion  of  his 
bosom,  and  the  two  little  sons,  Dominick  and  Harman, 
who  had  been  added  to  his  household.  Quietly  retired 
from,  the  bn^v  Jiaunts  pf  mai},  fcis  .hours  of  study  were 
only  intruded  upon  by  the  friendly  visits  of  his  neigh 
bors,  to  ^wljoce  nature^ .  dissimulation  and  flattery  were 
alike  unknown,  and  whose  aogiefcy  and  attachment  he 
cherished  by  reciprocal  attentions. 

to  be  their  historian,  related  tales  of  such  peril,  that  they  gazed  on  him 
with  sensations  of  wonder  and  astonishment.  I  saw  the  lady  so  pleased 
with  this  scene,  and  so  delighted  in  particular  with  Cuffee's  truly  rural 
establishment,  that  I  proposed  supping  on  the  shore.  My  proposition  was 
joyfully  acceded  to,  and  instructions  given  accordingly.  After  chatting 
some  time  on  subjects  immediately  rising  out  of  occurring  incidents,  and 
admiring  the  versatility  of  mind  which  one  time  finds  felicity  in  towns, 
and  midnight  masquerades  at  another,  acknowledges  happiness  on  the  con 
trasted  theater  of  the  rivers  and  wildernesses,  we  sat  down  to  our  repast, 
and  in  a  short  time  paid  it  the  strong  encomium  of  a  satiated  appetite. 
Next  morning  I  with  difficulty  tore  myself  away  from  this  interesting 
family.  You  will  excuse  me  for  omitting  the  names  of  this  amiable  couple. 
They  were  emigrants  of  the  first  distinction  from  Ireland. — Ache's  Travels 
in  America,  a  series  of  letters  addressed  to  a  friend  in  England  in  1806. 

4 


50  THE    BLENNERHASSETT    PAPERS. 


CHAPTER    III. 

BLENNERHASSETT  was  about  six  feet  in  stature,  of  slen 
der  proportions,  and  slightly  stooping.  He  was  entirely 
devoid  of  that  suaviter  in  modo,  which  is  so  attractive  to 
the  gentler  sex,  and  not  unfrequently  captivates  the 
minds  of  firmer  mold,  in  society  at  large.  His  forehead 
was  prominent; 'and  claimed  for  its  uo&ses&oi;  an,  lijte-li- 
gence  above  the  ordinary  capacity  of  mankind. '  His 
nose  was  the  distinguishing  feature  of  a  face  which  wore 
an  aspect  of  seriousness;  afrd  .th'ougiit, -almost  amounting 
to  cold  reserve.  Like  many  of  the  nobility,  he  was 
extremely  near-sighted ;  and,  unlike  many  of  the  pres 
ent  age,  who  ape  this  defect  of  nature,  he  found  it  a 
matter  of  serious  inconvenience.  In  gunning,  particu 
larly  (an  amusement  of  which  he  was  passionately  fond), 
he  had  usually  to  be  accompanied  by  his  wife,  or  some 
one  of  his  servants,  who  levelled  his  fowling-piece  and 
brought  it  to  bear  on  the  game.  Peter,  a  domestic,  who 
sometimes  attended  him,  was  in  the  habit  of  taking 
his  station  at  a  short  distance,  and  giving  directions 
after  the  following  manner : 

"  Now,  level,  Mr.  Blennerhassett.  A  little  to  the  left ! 
Now  to  the  right ! — there ! — steady  I— fire  !  " — Off  would 
go  the  gun,  and  not  unfrequently  the  game. 

His  usual  dress  was  of  the  "  old  English  style,  with 


EXPERIMENT.  51 

scarlet,  or  buff-colored,  small-clotL.es  and  silk  stockings ; 
shoes,  with  silver  buckles ;  and  a  coat  generally  of  blue 
broad-cloth.  When  at  home,  his  dress  was  rather  care 
less  ;  often,  in  warm  weather,  in  his  shirt  sleeves,  with 
out  coat  or  waistcoat ;  and,  in  winter,  he  wore  a  thick 
woollen  roundabout  or  jacket."* 

Retiring  in  disposition,  his  life  was  sedentary  and 
studious ;  books  and  philosophical  experiments  possess 
ing  greater  attractions  than  the  gay  and  fashionable 
assemblies  of  the  ball-room.  Always  entertaining,  he 
never  indulged  in  trivial  conversation,  but  interested  his 
audience  in  something  calculated  more  to  instruct  the 
understanding  than  to  amuse  their  fancy. 

His  scientific  studies,  which  were  much  facilitated  by 
means  of  his  various  apparatus,  included  chemistry,  elec 
tricity,  galvanism,  and  astronomy.  By  the  aid  of  a  tele 
scope  and  solar  microscope,  it  was  with  much  satisfaction 
that  he  could  demonstrate  the  truth  of  his  theories  by 
practical  observation,  and  acquaint  himself  more  fully 
with  the  motions  and  positions  of  the  planets,  as  well  as 
the  minuter  bodies  of  the  earth.  While  experimenting 
in  chemistry,  he  had  conceived  the  idea  that  animal  sub 
stance  might  be  so  adipocerated  as  to  subserve  the  use  of 
spermaceti  for  light.  He  accordingly  placed  pieces  of 
meat  in  a  small  inlet  from  the  river,  to  undergo  a  chemi 
cal  change.  When  the  proper  time  had  elapsed,  as  he 
supposed,  to  test  the  truth  of  his  theory,  on  visiting  the 
cove  he  found  the  finny  tribes  of  the  water  had  antici 
pated  his  experiment  by  converting  the  meat  into  food. 


*  Hildreth— "  American  Review,"  1848. 


52  THE   BLENNERHASSETT   PAPERS. 

The  act  was  not  repeated,  and  his  theory  remained  unde- 
monstrated. 

He  was  a  connoisseur  in  music,  and  performed  admir 
ably  upon  the  violin  and  violincello.  Many  of  his  hours 
of  recreation  were  whiled  away  with  this  delightful 
amusement;  and,  being  an  adept,  pieces  of  his  own 
composition  were  played  with  animating  effect. 

Of  an  unsuspecting  disposition,  he  was  easily  imposed 
upon  by  the  misrepresentations  of  others.  Not  unfre- 
quently  had  he  to  pay  enormously  for  his  practical  know 
ledge  of  life  and  human  nature.  It  is  reported  of  him 
that,  on  one  occasion,  having  employed  an  individual  to 
collect  muscle  shells  from  the  beach,  on  which  they  were 
scattered  in  great  profusion,  when  the  laborer  came  to 
receive  his  pay,  Blennerhassett  inquired  the  reason  of 
his  high  charge. 

"  The  diving's  so  deep,  and  the  shells  are  so  scarce." 

"  But,"  replied  Blennerhassett,  "  you  do  not  dive,  do 
you?" 

"Ay,  indeed!     In  fifteen  feet  water." 

Believing  there  was  no  occasion  for  misrepresenting  a 
fact,  which  could  be  readily  ascertained  by  a  short  walk 
to  the  river,  Blennerhassett  paid  the  man  his  money — a 
sum  equal  to  five  times  the  real  value  of  the  shells. 

Of  a  nervous  temperament,  he  not  unfrequently 
imagined  objects  which  had  no  existence  in  nature, 
and  apprehended  evils  that  were  never  to  be  realized. 
Earthquakes  and  thunder-storms,  to  him,  were  intensely 
alarming;  and  such  was  his  timidity  on  the  approach  of 
a  threatening  cloud,  that  it  was  his  usual  custom  to  close 
the  doors  and  windows  of  his  house,  and  place  himself 


THE    LADY.  53 

in  the  centre  of  a  bed,  to  avoid  the  accidental  effects  of 
the  electric  fluid. 

Of  his  forensic  talents,  or  legal  ability,  he  never, 
in  this  country,  gave  evidence.  He  was  not  deficient, 
however,  in  either.  The  county  court  of  Wood  county 
recommended  him  to  the  Governor  of  Virginia  for  the 
magistracy ;  and  by  bis  Excellency  he  was  duly  commis 
sioned:  but  presuming  it  a  condescension  for  which  he 
should  be  poorly  paid,  and  still  less  respected,  he  mod 
estly  declined  to  "  qualify,"  and  remained  a  private 
citizen. 

Let  us  turn,  for  a  time,  from  the  man,  to  contem 
plate  the  person  and  character  of  his  companion. 
History  affords  but  few  instances  where  so  much 
feminine  beauty,  physical  endurance,  and  many  social 
virtues,  were  combined  with  so  brilliant  a  mind,  in 
the  person  of  a  female. 

Her  stature  was  above  the  ordinary  hight  of  her  sex ; 
her  form  well  proportioned  and  beautifully  symmetrical ; 
her  manners  of  the  most  captivating  gracefulness,  with 
sufficient  dignity  to  repel  familiarity  and  command 
respect.  Her  dark-blue  eyes,  beaming  with  love  and 
affection,  and  "  sparkling  with  life  and  intelligence," 
looked  forth  from  beneath  the  long  brown  lashes,  which 
hung  as  curtains  to  conceal  their  charms.  Features  of 
Grecian  mold,  embellished  by  a  complexion  whose  car 
nation  hue  health  and  the  hand  of  nature  alone  had 
painted.  Her  hair,  which  was  of  a  dark-brown  color, 
was  usually  concealed  beneath  a  head-dress  of  rich- 
colored  silk  worn  after  the  manner  of  the  Turkish 
turban. 


54  THE    BLENNERHASSETT    PAPERS. 

Her  mind  was  not  less  polished  than  her  manners ; 
and  the  fluency  with  which  she  wrote  and  spoke  the 
French  and  Italian  languages,  indicated  a  high  degree 
of  cultivation,  to  which  few,  even  in  this  golden  age  of 
science  and  letters,  have  ever  attained.  Her  taste  for 
dramatic  composition  led  her  to  adopt,  as  a  favorite  pas 
time,  the  rehearsal  of  Shakspeare^s  plays.  These  were 
usually  executed  with  an  effect  which  would  have  done 
honor  to  more  professed  connoisseurs,  and  exhibited  a 
talent  which  needed  only  cultivation  to  have  won  lau 
rels  of  lasting  freshness  in  the  theatrical  world.  Her 
familiarity  with  various  French  and  English  authors  ren 
dered  her  an  agreeable  companion  for  the  man  of  letters, 
and  proved  a  valuable  assistant  to  her  husband  in  recal 
ling  to  mind  some  opinion  or  expresion  of  an  author 
which  had  escaped  his  memory. 

She  cultivated,  to  some  extent,  a  taste  for  poetry,  and 
produced  several  pieces  which  are  still  in  existence.  As 
we  are  enabled  to  offer  a  specimen  of  her  powers  in  this 
flowery  department  of  literature,  we  forbear  an  expres 
sion  of  opinion,  but  leave  the  lines  to  represent  their 
authoress. 

But  it  is  only  in  the  every-day  affairs  of  life  that  we 
-  /  can  gain  a  perfect  knowledge  of  the  true  character  of 
individuals.  It  was  in  this  peculiar  sphere  that  Mrs. 
Blennerhassett  exhibited  an  uncommon  degree  of  excel 
lence,  and  won  the  affection  of  all  within  her  influence. 
She  adapted  her  customs  to  the  society  around  her,  and 
joined  in  their  amusements  and  festivities  with  all  the 
spirit  of  one  accustomed  to  frontier  life  from  earliest 
infancy.  Riding  on  horseback  was  a  delightful  and 


THE    HOUSEWIFE.  55 

healthy  exercise,  in  which  she  frequently  participated. 
At  such  times,  she  was  usually  hahited  in  a  fine  cloth 
riding-dress,  of  scarlet  color,  richly  "bespangled  with  gold 
lace  and  glittering  buttons.  From  her  downy  hat  waved 
"the  graceful  plume  of  the  ostrich,"  and  "the  rich  folds 
of  her  drapery  fell  gaily  over  the  flanks  of  her  noble 
steed.  Over  hill  and  through  dale,  with  the  fleetness 
of  the  deer,  she  took  her  course,  and  seldom  did  her 
attendant  get  a  glimpse  of  his  sprightly  charge  until 
she  checked  her  speed  to  await  his  coming. 

That  she  was  capable  of  extraordinary  physical  endur 
ance  was  frequently  demonstrated  by  the  long  and  speedy 
walks  she  performed,  whether  on  business  or  visiting 
some  favorite  friend.  She  has  been  known  to  accom 
plish  a  pedestrian  tour,  of  from  ten  to  twenty  miles, 
with  as  much  ease  as  other  ladies  would  make  their 
usual  calls  among  city  or  village  acquaintances.  Fences 
or  fallen  timbers  were  no  impediments.  Bounding  over 
them  with  astonishing  agility,  she  carelessly  pursued  her 
way,  as  though  tracing  the  more  familiar  paths  of  the 
wild  woods. 

Although  she  participated  in  the  various  amusements 
through  the  country,  and  was  the  ruling  spirit  of  every 
assembly,  she  never  neglected  the  ordinary  duties  of  her 
household ;  every  apartment  received  her  personal  atten 
tion,  from  the  kitchen  to  the  chambers,  and  was  duly 
cleansed  and  arranged  according  to  her  direction.  By 
her  were  the  daily  tasks  of  the  servants  assigned,  while 
she  performed  with  cheerfulness  the  duties  devolving 
upon  herself. 


56  THE   BLENNERHASSETT   PAPERS. 


CHAPTER   IV. 

THE  character  and  habits  of  life  of  the  early  settlers 
of  Western  Virginia,  are  topics  which  have  engaged  the 
labors  of  but  few  pens ;  but  they  are  not  the  less  inter 
esting  on  that  account. 

Many  of  the  inhabitants  of  this  new,  and  hitherto 
uncultivated,  portion  of  the  State,  were  intelligent  sons 
of  families  of  distinction  in  the  "  Old  Dominion."  The 
great  abundance  of  game  of  nearly  every  variety,  the 
free  and  exciting  sports  of  a  life  in  the  "Western  wilds, 
devoid  of  care  and  free  from  the  conventional  restraints 
of  society;  the  health-invigorating  glorious  fun  of  fol 
lowing 

"The  stag  to  the  slippery  crag, 
And  chasing  the  bounding  roe," 

combined  to  allure  the  ardent  and  pleasure-loving  youths 
from  the  tamer  scenes  of  their  childhood  to  those  bound 
less  fields  of  new  and  ever-changing  excitement.  Others 
enjoying  smaller  patrimonies,  hearing  of  the  rich  allu 
vial  bottoms  of  the  Ohio  and  its  tributaries,  and  the 
low  price  at  which  land  could  be  procured,  deserted  their 
less  inviting  homesteads  to  seek  new  sources  of  wealth 
beyond  those  blue  peaks  which  many  regarded  as  the 
Western  limit  of  civilization.  Penury,  and  the  exhaust 
ed  lands  of  other  portions  of  the  State,  drove  no  incon- 


FRONTIER   LIFE.  57 

siderable  number  in  search  of  genial  soil,  where  the 
hand  of  man  might  realize  rich  returns  from  the  toil 
bestowed  upon  it ;  or  the  abounding  game  should  furnish 
supplies  without  the  effort  which  nature  requires  of 
those  who  seek  her  bounties. 

Populated  by  these  various  classes,  enticed  thither 
through  considerations  as  different  as  the  dispositions 
and  circumstances  of  the  individuals  themselves,  that 
love  of  society  which  is  seldom  lost  in  man  served  to 
banish  distinctions  of  rank,  and  render  an  absolute 
equality  essentially  necessary  to  their  social  existence. 
Around  the  blazing  fire,  the  son  of  the  wide-famed 
statesman  tripped  merrily  in  the  mazes  of  the  dance 
with  the  daughter  of  the  unknown  peasant.  The 
scholar,  orator  and  divine  strove,  in  eager  emulation, 
to  plant  their  rifle-balls  as  hear  the  center  of  the  target 
as  that  of  the  uncultivated  woodsman. 

Remote  from  friends,  from  society,  and  the  pleasing 
associations  of  earlier  years,  they  devised  amusements  in 
every  thing,  and  made  frolic  of  labor  itself.  A  house- 
raising,  or  log-rolling,  was  as  cheerfully  attended  as  the 
wedding  of  a  favorite  friend;  and  a  corn-husking  col 
lected  the  inhabitants  from  several  miles  around.  The 
almost  daily  interchange  of  civilities,  and  constant  asso 
ciation  of  the  various  classes,  as  well  for  the  purpose  of 
joint  protection  against  the  deadly  rifle  of  the  savage, 
as  the  innate  love  of  company,  served  to  mold  the 
general  character  of  the  population  into  a  distinct  type, 
peculiar  to  themselves,  and  stamped  their  virtues  with 
an  originality  which  the  mutations  of  time  have  failed 
to  change. 


58  THE    BLENXERHASSETT    PAPERS. 

The  Virginian,  thus  re-molded  (if  we  may  be  allowed 
the  expression),  from  his  active  habits  of  life,  was  capable 
of  extraordinary  feats  of  strength  and  astonishing  agility 
of  limb.  For  a  wrestle  or  a  foot-race,  he  was  always 
ready,  and  never  refused  a  challenge  to  take  a  trial  at 
either.  While,  to  gratify  his  revenge,  he  would  have 
grappled  with  Apollo  for  the  tripod  of  the  temple ;  yet 
the  overflowing  fountains  of  his  heart  gushed  forth,  in 
streams  of  sympathy,  for  the  misfortunes  of  his  fellow- 
men.  Chivalrous,  brave,  and  independent,  "he  would 
not  have  courted  Neptune  for  his  trident,  nor  Jove  for 
his  power  to  thunder."  With  a  generosity  bordering  on 
extravagance,  his  house,  his  horse,  his  gun — yea,  every 
thing  but  the  sacredness  of  virtue — were  at  the  disposal 
of  his  friends.  Clad  in  the  buck-skin  moccasin,  with  a 
hunting-shirt  of  linsey-woolsey,  his  rifle  on  his  shoulder, 
and  a  butcher-knife  at  his  side,  he  never  changed  his 
apparel  to  suit  the  circumstances  under  which  he  was 
placed ;  and,  whether  pursuing  the  fleeting  game,  visit 
ing  a  neighbor,  or  attending  the  services  of  the  church, 
the  same  attire  was  suitable  both  to  the  day  and  the 
occasion. 

The  deer  hunt,  the  horse-race,  and  ever-glorious  fox- 
chase,  were  the  usual  sources  of  amusement  among  the 
men ;  while  the  women  found  enjoyment  at  the  various 
wool-pickings  and  quiltings  throughout  the  neighbor 
hood.  The  circumstance  of  their  spending  so  much 
time  in  the  enjoyment  of  lawful  amusements,  is  to  be 
accounted  for  in  the  fact,' that,  at  that  early  period,  they 
had  but  few  desires  to  be  satisfied,  and  fewer  wants  to 
be  supplied.  There  being  then  but  little,  if  any,  demand 


WESTERN   PATRIOTISM.  59 

for  agricultural  produce,  it  was  unnecessary  to  raise 
more  than  the  consumption  of  the  immediate  vicinity 
required.  Remotely  situated  from  the  extravagance  and 
luxury  of  more  cultivated  society,  there  was  no  need  of 
mahogany  sideboards,  groaning  with  champagne,  nor 
of  Brussels  nor  Turkey  carpets  to  decorate  their  floors. 

Their  unflinching  patriotism  was  repeatedly  tested  in 
the  Revolution,  and  in  various  engagements  with  the 
Indians.  At  the  first  call  of  their  country's  voice,  the 
animated  response  was  heard  in  every  hamlet.  "When 
they  had  neither  the  soldier's  uniform,  nor  equipages, 
nor  arms,  they  seized  their  trusty  rifles ;  and,  from  their 
smiling  fields  of  toil,  from  the  pleasant  scenes  of  their 
sportive  pastimes,  they  flew  to  win  a  soldier's  name  or  a 
soldier's  grave.  The  result  of  their  efforts  shall  glow 
beneath  the  pencil  and  the  pen — shall  live  in  national 
song,  and  survive  in  the  spirit-stirring  anthem,  till  none 
are  worthy  to  repeat  the  strain,  or  to  paint  the  scenes  of 
their  country's  glory !  When  the  question  of  the  pur 
chase  of  Louisiana  was  first  mooted  in  our  national 
councils,  and  it  was  then  urged  that  the  inhabitants  of 
that  territory  would  prevent  a  free  and  easy  navigation 
of  the  Mississippi  river;  — "  Give  me,"  said  Washington, 
"  three  hundred  picked  men,  well-tried  and  true,  of  old 
West  Augusta,*  and  I  will  carve  my  way  to  the  Gulf." 
What  higher  compliment  could  have  been  paid  to  the 
patriotism  and  bravery  of  the  original  settlers  of  the 


*  This  was  the  term  applied  to  all  the  territory  west  of  the  Allegha- 
nies,  known  as  the  North-West  Territory.  Augusta  County  then  com 
prising  the  whole. 


60  THE    BLENNERHASSETT   PAPERS. 

trans- Alleghany  country,  of  whom  a  few  still  remain, 
as  land-marks  by  which  to  trace  the  characters  of  the 
departed  ? 

"While  this  type  of  character  occupied  the  Eastern 
shore  of  the  Ohio,  that  of  the  West  contained  another, 
as  marked  and  distinct  as  that  of  the  Cavalier  from  the 
Roundhead.  Many  revolutionary  officers  and  soldiers  of 
the  Northern  States,  who  had  exhausted  their  resources 
in  fighting  the  battles  of  their  country,  and  who,  from 
the  depleted  state  of  the  national  finances  had  to 
remain  for  a  time  without  indemnity,  either  for  their 
services  or  losses,  sought  this  new  land,  where  they 
could  recuperate  their  shattered  fortunes  by  economy 
and  industry.  Others,  too,  of  the  sons  of  New  England, 
attracted  also  by  the  fruitful  valleys  of  this  beautiful  and 
majestic  river,  bade  farewell  to  the  rocky  and  ungrateful 
soil  of  their  birth,  and,  with  a  plow  and  a  bed,  a  Bible 
and  a  wife,  set  out  for  the  West.  Here,  hundreds  of 
miles  from  father  Aminidab  and  mother  Patience,  they 
set  themselves  industriously  to  work,  clearing  up  farms, 
from  which  to  realize  fortunes,  as  soon  as  the  circum 
stances  of  the  country  would  permit.  That  their  most 
sanguine  expectations  have  been  fully  realized,  is  hap 
pily  demonstrated  by  the  fields  waving  with  grain,  val 
leys  filled  with  herds,  and  hills  covered  with  flocks, 
which  meet  the  eye  of  the  traveler  as  he  passes  along 
the  stream.  While  the  meed  of  praise  has  been  awarded 
them  for  their  indefatigable  industry,  they  have  not  been 
regarded  as  possessing  that  generous  hospitality  which 
is  characteristic  of  their  neighbors  of  Virginia.  .  Edu 
cated  ,  to  believe  there  was  no  product  without  labor,  no 


61 

wealth  without  economy,  they  indulged  but  little  in 
amusements,  and  were  careful  against  expense.  In  their 
moral  and  religious  observances,  they  were  rigidly  aus 
tere.  Like  the  Puritans  of  Plymouth  Rock,  from  whom 
they  were  descended,  the  Bible  formed  the  chief  rule  of 
their  conduct.  Their  family  government  was  based  upon 
its  precepts,  and  its  holy  teachings  were  listened  to,  each 
Sabbath,  in  the  "  forest  sanctuary."  True,  some  there 
were  who  occasionally  broke  over  the  more  austere  les 
sons  which  had  been  taught  them  by  their  parents,  but 
the  exceptions,  "  like  angels'  visits,  were  few  and  far 
between."  If  their  liberality  at  any  time  exhibited 
itself,  it  was  usually  toward  objects  of  charity,  or  to 
spread  the  teachings  of  that  gospel  which  they  had  been 
taught  ever  to  revere.  For  bravery  and  devotion  to  the 
welfare  of  their  country,  they  were  justly  regarded  the 
equals  of  their  neighbors;  and  acts  of  Indian  cruelty 
were  jointly  revenged  by  the  two.  Having  enjoyed 
early  advantages  in  the  best  schools  and  academies  of 
their  native  States,  they  were  fully  informed  upon  the 
subjects  usually  taught  at  such  institutions,  and  many 
possessed  talents  of  superior  brilliancy. 

Such  were  the  men  with  whom  Blennerhassett  had 
cast  his  fortunes.  The  variety  of  characters,  perhaps, 
was  as  great,  if  the  number  of  persons  was  far  less,  as 
that  of  the  society  he  had  recently  abandoned.  There 
was  the  hospitable  Virginian,  who,  though  he  neither 
claimed  nor  desired  the  titular  dignity  of  a  nobleman, 
exhibited  a  generosity  equal  to  that  of  its  proudest 
possessor, — a  generosity  which  knew  no  bounds,  and 
awaited  no  emergency  for  its  exercise.  "With  a  reckless 


62  THE   BLENNERHASSETT   PAPERS. 

prodigality,  he  scattered  his  bounties  broadcast ;  threw 
open  the  doors  of  hospitality;  lavishing,  with  an 
unsparing  hand,  the  gifts  which  fortune  had  bestowed 
upon  him.  There  was  the  high-toned  chivalry  of  the 
Crusades,  which  stooped  to  no  baseness ;  cringed  to  no 
superior;  nor  was  intimidated  by  menace;  performing 
kindnesses,  without  ostentation,  acts  of  daring,  without 
boasting,  and  relieving  the  wants  of  the  distressed, 
without  the  hope  of  reward.  There  was  the  zealous 
Puritan,  acknowledging  no  superior  but  God;  no  law 
binding  on  the  moral  man  but  the  Bible ;  no  religion 
but  that  of  Calvin;  rejecting  the  unmeaning  forms  of 
Popery;  combating  the  doctrine  of  apostolic  success- 
sion;  and  discarding,  in  his  worship,  the  use  of  the 
gown,  the  surplice,  and  the  prayer-book.  There,  the 
meek  and  pious  Christian,  dispensing  charities  without 
parsimony ;  visiting  the  sick  and  the  afflicted,  and  min 
gling  the  comforts  of  religion  with  the  sad  and  agoniz 
ing  scenes  of  death.  And  there,  too,  alas ! — the  crafty 
and  wily  miscreant,  making  promises  never  to  be  ful 
filled  ;  taking  advantages  in  trade ;  regarding  neither 
the  teachings  of  Holy  Writ,  nor  the  precepts  of  moral 
ity  ;  but  ever  faithless,  ever  insincere,  prostrating  virtue 
without  compunction,  and  indulging  in  every  lawless 
vice. 


TROUBLE    BREWING.  63 


CHAPTER   V. 

BEFORE  entering  upon  the  more  important  incidents 
in  the  life  of  Blennerhassett,  a  preliminary  view  of 
"Western  history  is  necessary  to  a  knowledge  of  subse 
quent  events. 

But  few  of  the  millions  who  now  populate  the  valley 
of  the  Mississippi,  are  familiar,  even  "by  tradition,  with 
the  difficulties  which  attended  its  early  colonization. 
While  the  States  of  the  Atlantic  had  engaged  the 
energies  of  the  government,  the  pioneers  of  the  wilder 
ness  had  heen  seriously  neglected.  That  young  and 
fertile  region  lay  yet  an  unbroken  forest,  but  sparsely 
inhabited,  and  separated  from  the  sea-board  by  inter 
minable  mountains  and  boundless  solitudes.  Shut  out 
from  the  avenues  of  trade,  it  contributed  nothing  to  the 
resources  of  the  government,  then  much  reduced  by  the 
Revolution,  and  the  demands  of  its  citizens  were  regard 
ed  as  burthens  to  the  State,  and  useless  exactions  from 
the  public  treasury.  JSTature,  it  is  true,  had  supplied 
it  with  those  noble  rivers,  now  the  great  arteries  of 
trade,  but  the  arbitrary  interdict  of  Spain  had  closed 
them  against  the  enterprise  and  energy  of  the  people. 

The  navigation  of  the  Mississippi  had  been  a  fruitful 
source  of  complaint  almost  from  the  first  occupation 
of  the  territory.  Favorites  had  been  rewarded  by  the 


64  THE   BLENNERHASSETT   PAPERS. 

authorities  of  Louisiana,  but  even  these  had  been  com 
pelled  to  contribute  to  the  Spanish  Crown.  Congress 
had  been  frequently  solicited  to  assert  the  rights  of  the 
people,  whose  prosperity  was  retarded  by  the  restrictive 
intercourse  of  trade,  yet  such  was  the  embarrassment 
of  the  government,  they  could  but  faintly  hope  for  relief, 
and  that,  if  at  all,  at  a  distant  day,  and  under  many 
disabilities. 

The  murmurings  of  discontent  which  thus  far  had  been 
comparatively,  but  faintly,  heard,  began  now  to  assume 
a  more  threatening  tone.  Those  who  had  been  most 
loyal  in  their  affection  for  the  Republic,  faltered  in  their 
allegiance  to  the  confederation.  The  Government  had 
been  admonished  of  a  rupture  of  the  Union,  and  a  forci 
ble  alliance  with  a  rival  power.  Measures  of  relief  had 
been  seriously  determined  on,  but  the  manner  of  their 
accomplishment  was  a  subject  of  no  little  diversity  of 
opinion.  While  some  advocated  the  separate  organiza 
tion  of  a  new  Republic,  independent  of  the  United 
States,  and  closely  allied  with  Spain,  others  desired 
annexation  to  Louisiana,  and  submission  to  Spanish 
domination.  Some  there  were  who  advised  a  war  with 
Spain,  as  affording  a  pretext  for  seizing  on  New  Orleans ; 
while  a  fourth  suggested  that  Congress  should  be  pre 
vailed  on  to  show  preparation  for  war,  and  by  alarming 
their  apprehensions,  "  extort  from  the  Cabinet  of  Madrid 
what  it  persisted  in  refusing."  The  fifth  and  last  sug 
gested,  that  France  should  be  solicited  to  procure  a 
retrocession  of  Louisiana,  and  to  extend  her  protection 
to  the  inhabitants  of  Kentucky.* 

Martin's  History  of  Kentucky,  Vol.  II,  p.  101. 


GEN.    WILKINSON.  65 

The  extension  of  its  American  possessions,  and  the 
control  of  trade,  had  long'  been  the  desire  of  the  Span 
ish  Crown.  The  occasion  was  opportune,  and  did  not 
escape  the  superior  vigilance  of  its  public  servant.  The 
obstruction  to  navigation,  which  had  been  purposely 
thrown  in  the  way  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  upper 
country,  seemed  now  to  have  produced  the  desired 
result ;  and  Miro,  the  Governor  of  Louisiana,  nattered 
himself,  from  the  discontent  which  appeared  every  where 
prevailing,  that  at  no  distant  day  he  could  report  to  the 
Cabinet  the  dismemberment  of  Kentucky  from  the 
Union,  and  its  voluntary  acknowledgement  of  Spanish 
domination. 

General  James  Wilkinson  was  at  -that  time  one  of  the 
leading  men  of  the  district.  He  had  been  a  successful 

O 

soldier  in  the  Revolution,  and  greatly  distinguished  him 
self  by  his  unflinching  courage  and  superior  military 
tact.  Like  many  of  his  compatriots,  at%the  close  of  the 
war,  he  had  been  left  with  limited  pecuniary  resources, 
and  found  it  necessary  to  turn  his  attention  to  other 
pursuits.  Still  comparatively  young,  with  a  vigorous 
constitution,  and  superior  intellectual  attainments,  he 
hoped  soon  to  establish  an  independence  of  fortune,  and 
elevate  himself  to  distinguished  civic  position.  With  a 
remarkably  discriminating  judgment,  few  men  better 
understood  the  motives  which  influence  human  action, 
and  none  more  successful  in  wielding  that  knowledge 
to  his  own  advantage. 

In  the  fall  of  1787,  having  laden  a  boat  with  tobacco 
and  flour,  he  descended  to  New  Orleans,  with  the  osten 
sible  purpose  of  making  arrangements  with  the  Spanish 


63  THE    BLENNERI1ASSETT    PAPERS. 

authorities,  by  which  to  secure  to  the  inhabitants  of  the 
upper  waters    the  free    navigation  of  the  river,   and  a 
market   for   their   products.       Scarcely   had   he   landed, 
however,   before    he    found    himself    surrounded    by   a 
retinue  of  officers,  who  informed   him   that   they  were 
directed  to  seize  upon  his  cargo,  which  had  been  confis 
cated   to   the    Government,    and    that    he   himself    was 
required  to  appear  before  the  Governor.     Miro  soon  dis 
covered  that  the  individual,  of  all  others,  whom  he  could 
have  most  desired  for  the  furtherance  of  his  objects,  was 
then   in   his   presence,  a    suppliant   for   his   favor.      He 
found  in  Wilkinson  a  man  of  ripe  experience  and  exten 
sive  influence.    Insinuating  in  address,  bold  but  reserved, 
with  a  ready  familiarity  in  the  passing  affairs  of  foreign 
governments,  not  less  than  in  those  of  his  own,  he  pos 
sessed  in  an  eminent  degree  many  of  the  higher  qualities 
of  an  accomplished  diplomatist.     Hence,  it  was  of  the 
first  importance  tjjhat  his  services  should  be  secured  to  the 
interest  of  the  crown,  which  might  thus,  by  the  efficient 
aid  of  an  emissary  in  disguise,  perfect  its  plans  without 
the  hazard  of  detection.     At  the  close  of  the  interview, 
the    boats    were    released,    and    permission   granted   to 
dispose  of  the  cargo.     A  generous  display  of  hospitality, 
on  the  part  of  the  Governor  and  citizens,  soon  succeeded. 
Costly  feasts  and  brilliant  assemblages  became  the  daily 
entertainment,  to  which  Wilkinson  was  invited.     Per 
mission  was  also  granted  him  to  "  introduce  into  Louis 
iana,  free  of  duty,  many  Western  articles  of  trade  which 
were  adapted  to  the  market." 

The  sudden  and  growing  intimacy  between  the  Span 
ish  Governor  and  American  planter  had  been  marked  b} 


SPANISH   INTRIGUE.  67 

many,  and  excited  a  suspicion  of  intrigue  between  the 
two.  It  was  slyly  insinuated  that  something  beyond 
commercial  privileges  was  in  negotiation ;  but  with  its 
objects  and  entire  extent  they  were,  as  yet,  imperfectly 
acquainted.  Nothing  was  at  that  time  disclosed  further 
than  that  Wilkinson  had  written  a  dissertation  "  respect 
ing  the  political  interests  of  Spain  and  the  inhabitants 
of  the  United  States,  dwelling  in  the  regions  upon  the 
Western  waters."  This  was  addressed  to  Miro,  to  be 
forwarded  to  the  King  of  Spain,  with  whom  he  desired 
it  to  be  known  that  he  was  then  negotiating  for  the  free 
navigation  of  the  Mississippi.  But  it  has  been  asserted, 
and  certainly  not  without  proof,  that  this  communica 
tion  was  intended  by  Wilkinson  to  conceal  a  different 
design,  indorsed  by  Miro,  and  to  which  but  few  others 
were  privy. 

Gardoqui,  the  Spanish  minister  in  Philadelphia,  with 
out  the  knowledge  of  Miro,  and,  therefore,  without  con 
cert  of  plan,  had  conceived  the  project  of  settling 
Louisiana  by  emigration  from  the  United  States.  By 
this  means  he  hoped  to  draw  to  the  interest  of  the 
Spanish  Crown  the  people  of  Kentucky,  which  should 
result  in  her  secession  from  the  Union,  with  other  dis 
tricts  then  similarly  disaffected. 

To  Pierre  d'Arg£s,  Gardoqui  committed  the  execution 
of  his  scheme.  By  authority  of  the  Cabinet  at  Madrid, 
he  invited  the  inhabitants  of  Kentucky,  and  those  dwell 
ing  along  the  Cumberland,  to  remove  to  West  Florida, 
and  the  Florida  district  of  Lower  Louisiana,  arid  place 
themselves  under  the  protection  of  Spain.  Liberal 
grants  of  land,  with  extensive  privileges,  were  offered  to- 


68  THE    BLENNERHASSETT    PAPERS. 

all  who  desired  to  better  their  condition  ;  and  as  a  greater 
inducement  to  those  owning  property,  slaves,  stock, 
farming  utensils,  and  provisions  for  two  years,  were  to  be 
admitted  free ;  while  a  duty  of  twenty-five  per  cent,  was 
levied  upon  property  imported  into  the  colony  for  trade 
or  consumption. 

But  the  plan  of  the  Spanish  representative  threatened 
a  collision  with  that  of  Miro.  Both  were  ambitious  of 
the  favor  at  court,  with  which  the  success  of  their  under 
takings  w^ould  be  rewarded;  and  hence  they  desired  to 
keep  as  a  secret  the  means  by  which  the  object  was  to  be 
effected. 

In  a  dispatch  addressed  by  Miro  on  the  8th  of  January, 
1788,  to  Valdds,  the  Minister  and  Secretary  of  State  for 
the  department  of  the  Indies,  writing  of  the  plans  of 
D'ArgSs,  he  says:  "I  fear  that  they  may  clash  with 
Wilkinson's  principal  object.  In  the  first  place,  D'Arg£s 
having  presented  himself  here  with  very  little  pru 
dence  and  concealment,  it  may  turn  out,  that  Wilkin 
son,  in  Kentucky,  being  made  aware  of  the  mission  of 
this  agent,  may  think  we  are  not  sincere,  and  that, 
endeavoring  to  realize  his  project  without  him,  we  use 
him  merely  as  a  tool  to  facilitate  the  operations  of 
D'Arg£s.  Under  the  impression  that  D'ArgSs  may  reap 
the  whole  credit  of  the  undertaking,  in  case  of  success, 
it  may  happe^  that  he  will  counteract  them  ;  for  this 
reason  I  have  been  reflecting  for  many  days,  whether  it 
would  not  be  proper  to  communicate  to  D'Arg£s  Wilkin 
son's  plans,  and  to  Wilkinson  the  mission  of  D'ArgSs,  in 
order  to  unite  them,  and  to  dispose  them  to  work  in 
concert.  But  I  dare  not  do  so,  because  D'Arg£s  may 


WILKINSON'S  MOVEMENTS.  69 

consider  that  the  great  projects  of  Wilkinson  may  destroy 
the  merit  of  his  own,  and  he  may  communicate  .them  to 
some  one  who  might  cause  Wilkinson  to  be  arrested  as 
a  criminal ;  and,  also,  because  Wilkinson  may  take 
offense  at  another  being  admitted  to  participate  in  con 
fidential  proceedings  upon  which  depended  his  life  and 
honor,  as  he  expresses  himself  in  his  memoir."* 

In  the  same  dispatch  he  continues:  "  The  delivering 
up  of  Kentucky  into  his  Majesty's  hands,  which  is  the 
main  object  to  which  Wilkinson  has  promised  to  devote 
himself  entirely,  would  forever  constitute  this  province 
a  rampart  for  the  protection  of  ]N"ew  Spain. 
*  ts  • r  '•  *  *  *  *  *  * 

The  Western  people  would  no  longer  have  any  induce 
ment  to  emigrate,  if  they  were  put  in  possession  of  a 
free  trade  with  us.  This  is  the  reason  why  this  privilege 
should  be  granted  only  to  a  few  individuals  having  influ 
ence  among  them,  as  is  suggested  in  Wilkinson's  memo 
rial,  because,  in  their  seeing  the  advantages  bestowed  on 
the  few,  they  might  be  easily  persuaded  to  acquire  the 
like  by  becoming  Spanish  subjects.". 

Wilkinson,  having  remained  several  months  at  'New 
Orleans,  instead  of  returning  to  Kentucky  by  way  of  the 
river,  sailed  for  Philadelphia,  from  whence  he  proceeded 

*  This  official  dispatch  of  Miro's  reveals  the  fact  of  what  had  before  rested 
only  on  suspicion,  that  Wilkinson  prepared  two  memorials  to  the  king — one 
for  the  eye  of  the  public,  particularly  the  people  of  the  West,  asserting  their 
rights  and  the  importance  of  their  trade  to  Louisiana  and  to  Spain,  and  ex 
pressing  his  fears,  in  the  meantime,  lest  the  English  should  intervene,  and, 
by  joining  with  the  disaffected  portion  of  the  western  districts,  wrest  from  ' 
the  Spanish  crown  its  possessions  in  Louisiana ;  the  other,  intended  only 
for  the  Cabinet  at  Madrid,  disclosing  a  plan  for  the  acquisition  of  Ken 
tucky,  by  her  separation  from  the  Union  and  attachment  to  Louisiana. 


70  THE    BLENNERHASSETT    PAPERS. 

to  Kichmond,  Virginia,  then  the  seat  of  Government  for 
the  Kentucky  District.  From  this  point  he  addressed  a 
letter  to  Gardoqui,  relative  to  the  affairs  of  Louisiana, 
and,  as  he  subsequently  informed  Miro,  to  sound  him 
upon  his  plans,  and  to  divert  his  attention  from  himself, 
as  he  had  been  informed  that  his  own  reception  at  New 
Orleans  had  been  the  subject  of  comment  by  the  Span 
ish  Minister. 

Gardoqui,  in  the  meantime,  was  busily  engaged  in  car 
rying  forward  his  scheme  of  colonization.  Col.  George 
Morgan,  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution,  had  conceived 
himself  greatly  injured  by  the  Government,  in  rejecting 
what  he  believed  a  meritorious  claim,  and  smarting 
under  his  disappointment,  resolved  to  avail  himself  of 
the  opportunity  of  placing  himself  beyond  the  limits  of 
the  United  States,  and,  by  securing  a  liberal  grant  of  the 
Spanish  Crown,  to  restore  his  broken  fortunes  in  the 
fertile  valley  of  the  Mississippi.  Having  applied  to  Gar 
doqui,  he  obtained  the  conveyance  of  a  vast  tract  of 
land,  situated  some  seventy  miles  below  the  mouth  of 
the  Ohio,  upon  which  he  stipulated  to  place  a  large  num 
ber  of  families,  and  subsequently  laid  out  the  town  of 
New  Madrid.  D'Arg£s  had  already  informed  Charles  de 
Grandpre\  Governor  of  batches,  to  have  preparation 
made  for  the  reception  of  fifteen  hundred  and  eighty-two 
families,  which  were  expected  soon  to  arrive  from  Ken 
tucky  to  take  possession  of  their  promised  bounties.* 

*  To  each  family  not  owning  negroes  was  granted  six  arpens  of  land, 
fronting  a  bayou  or  water-course,  with  forty  in  depth,  making  a  total  of 
two  hundred  and  forty  arpens ;  to  such  as  had  two,  three,  or  four  slaves, 
or  had  a  family  composed  of  four  or  six  adult  unmarried  sons  capable  of 
working,  te  i  arpens  in  front  by  forty  in  depth ;  to  such  as  had  from  ten 


71 

During  the  month  of  February,  1788,  Wilkinson  re 
turned  across  the  mountains  to  Kentucky.  His  splendid 
equipage  and  numerous  servants  attracted  the  attention 
and  excited  the  wonder  of  his  old  companions,  while 
rumors  were  freely  circulated,  that  his  sudden  exhibition 
of  wealth  was  to  be  attributed  to  something  beyond  the 
profits  on  his  Southern  cargo.  It  was  suggested  that 
others,  who  should  follow  his  example,  might  discover 
the  source  from  whence  it  sprung,  and  that  the  philoso 
pher's  stone,  which  was  to  turn  every  thing  it  touched 
into  gold,  lay  within  the  limits  of  the  Spanish  dominion. 
On  the  subject  of  the  navigation  of  the  Mississippi  he 
grew  quite  enthusiastic,  demonstrating  in  glowing  lan 
guage  the  benefits  to  be  derived  from  direct  commercial 
relations  with  New  Orleans,  and  at  the  same  time  inform 
ing  his  friends  of  the  exclusive  privileges  which  had 
been  granted  him  by  the  Spanish  Governor.  He  entered 
into  large  contracts  for  tobacco,  and  at  once  excited  the 
jealousy  of  his  rivals  by  the  liberal  prices  offered  for 
western  products.* 

Soon  after  his  return  he  dispatched  a  pirogue,  with  two 
oarsmen,  to  New  Orleans,  conveying  a  communicationf 


to  twenty  negroes,  fifteen  arpens  by  forty ;  and  to  those  owning  more  than 
twenty  negroes,  twenty  arpens  by  forty. 

*  Marshall's  History  of  Kentucky,  Vol.  I,  p.  283. 

tMost  of  these  dispatches,  if  not  all,  were  originally  in  cypher;  they 
are  to  be  found  at  length,  and  in  Spanish,  in  the  archives  of  Spain.  Copies 
made  in  compliance  with  a  resolution  of  the  Legislature  of  the  State  of 
Louisiana,  under  the  supervision  of  M.  de  Gayangos,  a  gentleman  distin 
guished  for  his  learning  and  literary  works ;  and  also  under  the  direction 
of  his  Excellency  Romulus  Saunders,  who  was  then  the  United  States  Min 
ister  Plenipotentiary  at  Madrid,  are  deposited  in  the  office  of  the  Secretary 
of  State  at  Baton  Rouge. —  Gayarre's  History  of  Loui*ii.na,  Vol.  Ill,  p.  111. 


'-  THE    BLENNERHASSETT    PAPERS. 

to  Miro.  informing  the  latter  of  his  safe  return  across 
the  mountains,  and  assuring  him  that  their  joint  de 
sign  was  soon  to  be  accomplished,  as  Kentucky  had 
separated  herself  from  Virginia^  and  the  rest,  as  Spain 
desired,  must  inevitably  follow.  "  I  have,"  he  says,  "  col 
lected  much  European  and  American  news,  and  have 
made  various  interesting  observations  for  our  political 
designs.  It  would  take  a  volume  to  contain  all  that  I 
have  to  communicate  to  you.  But  I  dispatch  this  letter 
with  such  haste,  and  its  fate  is  so  uncertain,  that  I  hope 
you  will  excuse  me  for  not  saying  more  until  the  arrival 
of  my  boats,  and,  in  the  meantime,  I  pray  you  to  content 
yourself  with  this  assurance,  all  my  predictions  are  verify 
ing  themselves,  and  not  a  measure  is  taken  on  both  sides  of 
the  mountains  which  does  not  conspire  to  favor  ours.  *  *  * 
I  beg  you  to  be  easy,  and  to  be  satisfied  that  nothing 
shall  deter  me  from  attending  exclusively  to  the  object 
we  have  in  hand,  and  I  am  convinced  that  the  success 
of  our  plan  will  depend  on  the  disposition  of  the  Qourt." 

"Whether  Wilkinson  was  really  in  earnest  in  carry 
ing  into  execution  the  designs  of  the  Spanish  Gov 
ernor,  may,  by  some,  be  regarded  as  a  matter  of  con 
jecture  ;  but  that  he  was,  nevertheless,  using  him  for 
pecuniary  gain,  is  clearly  established  by  Miro's  frequent 
dispatches  to  the  home  government,  recommending  the 
purchase  of  increased  amounts  of  tobacco,  in  which  it 
was  known  that  Wilkinson  was  then  dealing. 

"  There  is  no  means,"  he  writes,  "  more  powerful  to 
accomplish  the  principal  object  we  have  in  view,  in  the 
memorial  which  has  been  laid  before  his  Majesty,  than 
the  promise,  that  the  government  will  take  as  much  as 


MAJOR   DUXN.  73 

six  millions  of  their  tobacco,  instead  of  the  two  millions 
which  are  now  bought  from  them." 

In  a  subsequent  dispatch,  after  the  arrival  of  several 
flat-boats,  owned  by  "Wilkinson,  and  under  charge  of 
Major  Dunn,  which  the  Governor  was  assured  cost  seven 
thousand  dollars  in  Kentucky,  Miro  says,  that,  from  the 
beginning,  Wilkinson  had  informed  him  that  he  was  not 
possessed  of  any  pecuniary  resources  ;  that  on  the  recom 
mendation  of  the  Intendant,  he  had  obtained  a  loan 
of  three  thousand  dollars  from  a  gentleman  in  New 
Orleans,  and,  therefore,  requested  that  his  cargo  should 
not  be  seized,  as  he  had  pledged  the  product  of  its  sale 
to  refund  the  sum,  and  to  pay  his  crew,  and  the  amount 
due  on  the  tobacco,  which  had  been  purchased  on  credit. 
The  balance  was  to  enable  him  to  support  himself  with 
out  embarrassment,  and  to  contribute  to  preserve  and 
increase  his  influence  in  his  own  State.  "  Although  his 
•candor,"  he  continues,  "  and  the  information  which  I 
have  sought  from  many  who  know  him  well,  seem  to 
assure  us  that  he  is  working  in  good  earnest,  yet  I  am 
aware  it  may  be  possible  that  his  intention  is  to  enrich 
himself  at  our  expense,  by  inflating  us  with  hopes  and 
promises  which  he  knows  to  be  vain.  Nevertheless,  I 
have  determined  to  humor  him  on  this  occasion." 

Dunn  had  left  Kentucky,  in  charge  of  the  boats  and 
cargo,  on  the  15th  of  May,  bearing  with  him  a  letter  of 
introduction  from  Wilkinson.  He  informed  the  Gov 
ernor  and  Intendant  that  the  Major  was  an  old  military 
companion,  who  had  come  to  settle  in  the  country  during 
his  absence.  The  reliance  which  he  placed  in  his  honor, 
his  discretion,  and  his  talents,  had  induced  him,  after 


74  .    THE   BLENNERHASSETT    PAPERS. 

sounding  his  disposition  with  proper  caution,  to  choose 
him  as  a  fit  auxiliary  in  the  execution  of  their  political 
designs,  which  he  had  embraced  with  credulity.  Dunn, 
he  said,  would,  therefore,  present  himself  in  order  to 
confer  with  them  on  those  points  which  would  require 
more  examination,  and  to  concert  with  them  those 
measures  which  they  might  deem  necessary  to  expe 
dite  "  our"  plan,  and  that,  through  him,  he,  Wilkinson, 
might  he  able  to  receive  the  new  instructions  which  they 
might  deem  expedient  to  send  him.  "  I  have  also  chosen 
him,  he  continues,  "  to  bring  back  the  product  of  the 
present  cargo  of  my  boats." 

For  these  reasons,  he  wished  to  recommend  him  as  one 
worthy  of  their  entire  confidence,  and  as  a  safe  and  saga 
cious  man,  who  was  properly  acquainted  with  the  poli 
tical  state  of  the  American  Union,  and  with  the  circum 
stances  of  the  Western  country. 

He  further  informed  them,  that  on  the  first  day  of 
January  of  the  next  year  (1789),  by  mutual  consent,  the 
district  of  Kentucky  would  cease  to  be  subject  to  the 
jurisdiction  of  Virginia.  That  while  it  was  true  it  had 
been  stipulated,  as  a  necessary  condition  of  their  inde 
pendence,  that  Kentucky  should  be  acknowledged  as  an 
independent  State  by  Congress,  and  be  admitted,  as  such, 
into  the  Federal  Union,  yet  a  convention  had  already 
been  called  to  form  the  constitution  of  that  district,  and 
he  felt  persuaded  that  no  action  on  the  part  of  Congress 
would  ever  induce  the  people  to  abandon  the  plan  which 
they  had  adopted,  although  he  had  received  recent  intel 
ligence  that  that  body-  would,  beyond  a  doubt,  recognize 
Kentucky  as  a  sovereign  State. 


PROJECTING.  75 

The  convention  was  to  meet  in  July ;  and  in  the  mean 
time  he  would  inquire  into  the  prevailing  opinions,  and 
should  thereby  be  able  to  ascertain  the  extent  of  the 
influence  of  the  members  elected.  When  that  was  done, 
after  having  previously  come  to  an  understanding  with 
two  or  three  individuals  capable  of  assisting  him,  he 
should  disclose  so  much  of  their  great  scheme  as  might 
appear  appropriate.  He,  as  yet,  had  been  communicative 
but  to  two  individuals;  he,  however,  had  sounded  many; 
and  wherever  he  had  made  known  to  any  of  them  Miro's 
answer  to  his  memorial,  it  had  given  the  greatest  satis 
faction.  Col.  Alexander  Leatt  Bullitt,  and  Harry  Innis, 
the  Attorney-General,  were  the  only  persons  to  whom 
he  had  fully  communicated;  and  should  any  mishap 
befall  him  before  the  accomplishment  of  their  ends,  he 
desired  the  Spanish  authorities  to  adcjress  themselves  to 
these  gentlemen,  whose  political  designs,  he  asserted, 
agreed  with  their  own.  An  early  organization  of  the 
State  government  was  anticipated,  at  which  time  it  was 
intended  to  appoint  an  agent  to  treat  with  Spain ;  and  as 
for  Congress  opposing  any  obstacle  to  the  measure,  it 
was  ridiculously  absurd ;  for  under  the  federal  compact, 
that  body  could  neither  furnish  men  nor  money ;  and,  as 
to  the  new  government,  should  it  ever  establish  itself,  it 
would  have  to  encounter  difficulties  which  would  keep  it 
weak  for  three  or  four  years,  before  the  expiration  of 
which,  he  had  good  reason  for  believing,  that  himself 
and  Miro  would  complete  their  negotiations,  and  would 
become  too  strong  for  any  force  that  could  be  sent 
against  them. 

Urging  upon  the  authorities  the  great  importance  of 


76  „    THE    BLENNERHASSETT    PAPERS. 

permitting  him  to  trade  unmolested,  and  allowing  but 
few  individuals  to  pass  duty  free,  he  says :  "  The  only 
tie  which  can-  preserve  the  connection  of  the  Western 
country  with  the  Atlantic  States,  is  the  necessity  of 
relying  on  them  altogether  for  their  supplies  of  such 
articles  as  are  not  manufactured  by  the  people ;  and  as 
soon  as  they  ascertain  that  these  can  be  procured 
through  the  river,  their  dependent  state  will  cease, 
and  with  it  all  motives  of  connection  with  the  other 
side  of  the  Apalachian  mountains." 

Major  Dunn  confirmed  the  statement  of  Wilkinson, 
and  assured  Miro  that  the  next  year  after  the  meeting 
of  the  first  assembly,  in  which  Kentucky  would  act  as 
an  independent  State,  she  would  separate  from  the  Fed 
eral  Union.  He  further  assured  the  Governor,  that 
many  of  the  most  distinguished  citizens  of  the  State 
had  expressed  themselves  to  that  effect,  and  that  the 
direction  of  the  current  of  the  rivers,  which  washes  in 
front  of  their  dwellings,  pointed  clearly  to  the  power  to 
which  they  should  ally  themselves. 

About  this  time  Miro  was  much  gratified  at  the  receipt 
of  a  copy  of  a  dispatch  from  McGillivray,  the  half-breed 
Chief  of  the  Salapouches,  to  the  Governor  of  Pensacola, 
in  which  he  informed  the  Spanish  official  that  the  settlers 
in  the  Cumberland  and  Kentucky  districts,  against  whom 
he  had  committed  many  atrocities,  had  sued  for  peace ; 
and,  as  an  inducement  to  a  cessation  of  hostilities,  had 
"assured  him  that  they  would  throw  themselves  into  the 
arms  of  his  Majesty,  as  subjects,  and  were  determined 
to  free  themselves  from  their  dependence  on  Congress, 
because  that  body  could  not  protect  either  their  persons 


DIPLOMACY.  77 

or  their  property,  nor,  by  favoring  commerce,  promote 
their  prosperity:  hence  they  owed  no  obedience  to  a 
power  which  was  incapable  of  benefiting  them. 

Elated  with  the  prospects  of  success,  Miro's  dispatches 
to  the  King  spoke  so  encouragingly,  and  with  such  confi 
dence,  that  they  did  not  fail  to  create  high  hopes  in  the 
breast  of  the  Cabinet  as  to  the  favorable  result  of  his 
plans.  Martin  Navarro,  his  associate,  had  left  the  prov 
ince  for  Spain,  and  Miro  exercised  in  his  own  person  the 
two  offices  of  Intendant  and  Governor.  No  other  person 
had  been  sent  to  supply  his  place ;  it  being  deemed  best 
to  leave  negotiations  entirely  with  the  few  who  had  been 
admitted  to  the  secret,  lest  Wilkinson  and  his  associates 
might  be  exposed. 

Until  now,  Gardoqui  and  the  Governor  had  been  act 
ing  separate  parts.  Both  were  ambitious  to  accomplish 
their  projects,  and  both  were  emulous  of  the  rewards 
which  were  to  follow.  Neither  had  communicated  his 
secrets  to  the  other,  while  both  were  struggling  for  a 
common  design.  With  such  privacy  had  they  conducted 
their  several  schemes,  that  even  Wilkinson  was  as  yet 
uninformed  of  the  secret  agency  of  D'Arg£s.  Miro  had 
failed  to  apprise  him  of  it  for  fear  of  the  displeasure  it 
might  occasion  him  and  Gardoqui,  through  a  distrust 
of  the  General,  and  a  desire  to  accomplish  his  object 
without  his  co-operation. 

The  diplomacy  displayed  by  these  two  officials  of  his 
Majesty  evinces  talents  of  no  ordinary  ability.  Both 
were  dealing  with  an  experienced  tactician,  who  prided 
himself  upon  his  superior  sagacity.  He  had,  as  yet, 
gained  neither  the  affection  of  the  one,  nor  the  confi- 


78  THE    BLENNERHASSETT   PAPERS. 

dence  of  the  other.  Both  had  read  their  antagonist, 
and  conceived  they  knew  the  individual  with  whom  they 
confederated.  Miro  had,  therefore,  to  suppress  a  smile  at 
Wilkinson's  ingenuousness  in  communicating  the  fact 
that  he  had  heen  approached  "by  hoth  French  and  Eng 
lish  emissaries,  who  were  husily  engaged  in  enlisting, 
each  in  his  own  behalf,  the  interests  of  Kentucky. 

"  It  is  to  my  knowledge,"  writes  Wilkinson,  £that  the 
Court  of  Versailles  has,  for  years  past,  heen  collecting 
every  sort  of  information  with  reference  to  this  district, 
and  that  it  would  give  a  great  deal  to  recover  its  posses 
sions  on  the  Mississippi.  In  the  year  1785,  a  knight  of 
St.  Louis,  named  D'Arg&s,  arrived  at  the  falls  of  the 
Ohio,  gave  himself  out  for  a  naturalist,  and  pretended 
that  his  object  was  to  inquire  into  the  curious  produc 
tions  of  this  country,  but  his  manner  of  living  contra 
dicted  his  assertion.  He  made  few  acquaintances,  lived 
very  retired,  and  during  one  year  that  he  remained  here 
he  never  went  out  of  Louisville,  where  he  resided,  fur 
ther  than  six  miles.  On  his  perusing  the  first  memorial 
which  the  people  of  this  district  presented  to  the  Legis 
lature  of  Virginia,  on  the  question  of  separation,  he 
expressed  his  admiration  that  there  should  be  in  so  new 
a  country,  a  writer  capable  of  framing  such  a  composi 
tion  ;  then,  after  having  made  some  reflections  on  the 
progressive  importance  of  our  settlement,  he  exclaimed 
with  enthusiasm,  'Good  God!  my  country  has  been 
blind,  but  its  eyes  shall  be  opened/  The  confidential 
friend  of  this  gentleman  was  a  Mr.  Tardiveau,  who  had 
resided  many  years  in  Kentucky.  D'ArgSs  used  to  draw 
drafts  on  M.  de  Marbois,  then  Consul  of  France,  at  ISTew 


RUMORED    TREATY..  79 

York ;  and,  finally,  he  lived  as  one  who  belonged  to  the 
family  of  Count  de  Moustier,  the  French  Minister;  and 
I  am  informed,  from  a  good  source,  that  he  presented  to 
this  same  Count  de  Moustier,  a  very  elaborate  memorial 
on  these  settlements,  which  was  forwarded  to  the  Court 
of  France. 

"  Perhaps,  sir,"  he  continues,  "  you  will  think  this 
information  frivolous,  but  I  am  sure  you  will  believe  that 
it  proceeds  from  my  devoted  zeal  for  the  interests,  of 
Spain.  Please  remember  that  trifles  light  as  air,  fre 
quently  are,  for  the  faithful  and  the  zealous,  proofs  as 
strong  as  those  of  Holy  "Writ."  *  This  same  D'Arges 
was  then  in  the  actual  service  of  Gardoqui,  under 
instructions  from  the  Court  of  Madrid,  and  in  conference 
with  Miro. 

Wilkinson  had  been  actively  engaged  in  sowing  the 
seeds  of  dissension  in  Kentucky.  George  Muter,  Harry 
Innis,  John  Brown  and  Benjamin  Sebastian,  conspicuous 
and  influential  men,  had  been  admitted  to  the  secret,  and 
were  fully  commit'ted  to  the  enterprise.  Possessing 
talents  of  marked  ability  themselves,  they,  nevertheless, 
looked  to  Wilkinson  for  counsel  and  direction.  The 
people  were  kept  in  constant  agitation  by  conventions 
and  meetings  on  the  subject  of  their  grievances.  The 
Secretary  of  State,  Mr.  Jay,  it  was  asserted,  had  formed, 
or  was  about  to  form,  a  treaty  with  Spain,  by  which  the 
exclusive  right  to  navigate  the  Mississippi  for  twenty-five 
years,  on  the  part  of  his  Majesty,  was  to  be  recognized 
by  the  United  States  Government.  Delegates  had  been 

*Gayarre,  Vol.  Ill,  p.  238. 


80  THE   BLENNERHASSETT   PAPERS. 

assembled  from  the  principal  counties  of  Kentucky,  had 
discussed  their  grievances,  and  had  separated  without 
any  organized  plan.  The  people  became  distracted,  their 
burthens  became  more  and  more  intolerable ;  and  many 
seemed  willing  to  resort  to  any  thing  that  promised  a 
present  relief.  It  was  true*  that  not  a  few  of  the  evils  of 
which  they  complained  were  imaginary — some  unavoid 
able — perhaps  all,  in  time,  would  have  been  satisfactorily 
adjusted ;  yet  they  ^conceived  themselves  aggrieved,  and 
it  was  the  policy  of  their  leaders  to  cultivate  such  a 
belief. 

Wilkinson  had  returned  in  February,  1788.  He  had 
sailed  from  New  Orleans  to  Philadelphia ;  visited  Rich 
mond,  Virginia ;  was  present  in  the  Assembly  when  the 
separation  of  Kentucky  was  voted  on,  and  was .  greatly 
gratified  when  the  result  was  announced.  His  entrance 
into  Lexington  was  grand  and  imposing.  He  had  left 
there  poor  and  in  debt,  only  the  summer  before,  but  now 
flourished  in  splendid  chariot,  drawn  by  four  richly- 
caparisoned  horses,  and  attended  by  several  slaves.* 
Unfavorable  rumors  were  freely  circulated.  By  some,  it 
was  hinted  that  at  New  Orleans  he  had  sold  both  his 
cargo  and  himself;  that,  in  fact,  he  had  taken  the  oath 
of  allegiance,  and  had  already  become  a  subject  of  Spain. 
He  informed  them,  himself,  of  the  exclusive  privileges 
granted  him  by  the  Governor,  by  which  he  could  ship 
tobacco,  and  deposit  it  at  the  king's  store  at  ten  dollars 
the  hundred,  which  was  a  privilege  allowed  only  to  his 
Majesty's  subjects.  He  advocated  the  right  to  navigate 

*  Marshall's  History  of  Kentucky,  Vol.  I,  p.  263. 


OBNOXIOUS   FEDERALISM.  81 

the  Mississippi,  urged  the  great  importance  of  a  com 
mercial  connection  of  the  two  countries,  and  insinuated 
that  it  might  all  he  effected  by  a  separation  from  the 
Union  and  the  independence  of  Kentucky.  Many  were 
already  convinced ;  others  felt  that  their  prosperity  had 
heen  too  long  retarded  by  the  inactivity  of  the  Govern 
ment.  "What  has  heen  accomplished  by  Wilkinson," 
they  argued,  "may  also  be  effected  for  ourselves."  As 
yet  they  had  derived  no  benefits  from  the  Union  ;  but  as 
an  independent  State  they  could  form  an  alliance  with 
Spain,  and  reap  the  advantages  of  her  liberal  patronage. 
The  incredulous,  of  whom  there  were  many,  were  reluct 
ant  to  move.  Although  they  divined  the  object  of  Wil 
kinson's  mission,  still  he  stood  high  in  popular  favor, 
and  they  were  cautious  of  giving  offense.  Some  there 
were,  who  would  have  openly  denounced  him,  but  the 
facts  upon  which  to  base  an  accusation  had  been  care 
fully  concealed.  By  the  multitude,  however,  his  acts 
were  highly  extolled,  and  he  .was  flattered  by  the 
acknowledgement  that  to  him  alone  were  the  citizens 
of  the  West  indebted  for  opening  that  navigation,  which 
Mr.  Jay  had  offered  to  surrender,  and  of  realizing  that 
commerce  which  Congress  had  failed  to  secure. 

But  there  was  a  new  cause  of  excitement  which 
promised  to  facilitate  his  design.  The  merits  of  the  new 
Constitution  of  the  United  States,  which  had  been 
recently  adopted  by  eleven  States  of  the  Union,  was  the 
subject  of  universal  interest.  The  policy  of  its  accept 
ance  was  daily  discussed  in  bar-rooms,  at  the  hust 
ings,  and  in  social  assemblies.  Many  of  its  provisions 

were  known   to  be   unpopular  with   a   majority  of  the 
6 


82  THE    BLENNERHASSETT    PAPERS.      , 

citizens  of  Kentucky,  yet  it  was  hoped  that  the  objec 
tions  might  all  be  obviated  by  subsequent  amendment. 
The  people  of  the  Kentucky  district  had  been  called 
upon  to  send  delegates  to  Richmond,  to  meet  in  Conven 
tion  in  the  month  of  June,  at  which  time  it  was  expected 
that  Virginia  would  declare  her  sentiments  upon  the 
subject.  The  session  was  protracted  for  three  weeks. 
At  length  a  vote  was  taken,  on  the  SOth  of  June,  and 
the  instrument  ratified  by  a  vote  of  eighty-eight  to 
seventy-eight ;  but  three  of  the  Kentucky  members  vot 
ing  for  it,  while  eleven  declared  against  it. 

While  the  preliminary  elections  were  being  held,  for 
members  of  the  Convention  at  Richmond,  the  people 
were  also  required  to  select  delegates  to  a  District  Con 
vention,  to  assemble  at  Danville,  charged  with  the 
important  trust  of  framing  a  Constitution  for  the  new 
State.  Wilkinson  was  chosen  a  member  of  that  body. 
It  convened  on  the  28th  of  July,  and  proceeded  to 
organize.  Its  deliberations,  however,  were  suddenly 
terminated,  by  the  announcement  of  its  president,  that 
he  had  received  a  dispatch  stating  that  Congress  had 
declined  any  further  action  on  the  subject  of  Kentucky ; 
had,  in  fact,  adjourned  without  having  passed  an  act  for 
her  admission  into  the  Confederation,  and  leaving  the  de 
cision,  on  that  important  question,  to  the  Congress  about 
to  be  formed  under  the  recently-adopted  Constitution.* 

"  From  this  proceeding  of  Congress,"  writes  Wilkin 
son  to  Miro,  "  it  resulted  that  the  Convention  was  of 
opinion  that  our  proposed  independence  and  separation 


Marshall's  History  of  Kentucky,  Vol.  I,  p.  228. 


X 

SOUTH-WESTERN   FEELING.  83 

from  Virginia,  not  being  ratified,  its  mission  and  powers 
were  at  an  end,  and  we  found  ourselves  in  the  alternative, 
either  of  proceeding  to  declare  our  independence,  or  of 
waiting  according  to  the  recommendation  of  Congress. 
This  was  the  state  of  affairs  when  the  Honorable  Caleb 
Wallace,  one  of  our  Supreme  Judges,  the  Attorney  Gen 
eral,  Innis,  and  Benjamin  Sebastian,  proposed  a  prompt 
separation  from  the  American  Union,  and  advocated, 
with  intrepidity,  the  necessity  of  the  measure.  The  arti 
fice  of  Congress  was  exposed,  its  proceedings  reprobated, 
the  consequences  of  depending  on  a  body  whose  interests 
were  opposed  to  ours,  were  depicted  in  the  most  vivid 
colors,  and  the  strongest  motives  were  set  forth  to 
justify  the  separation.  The  arguments  used  were  un 
answerable,  and  no  opposition  was  manifested  in  the 
course  of  the  debates.  It  was  conceded,  unanimously, 
that  the  present  connection  was  injurious  to  our  interests, 
and  that  it  could  not  last  any  length  of  time.  Never 
theless,  sir,  when  the  question  was  finally  taken,  fear  and 
folly  prevailed  against  reason  and  judgment.  It  was 
thought  safer  and  more  convenient  to  adhere  to  the 
recommendation  of  Congress,  and,  in  consequence,  it  was 
decided  that  the  people  be  advised  to  elect  a  new  Con 
vention,  which  should  meet  in  the  mouth  of  November."* 
"  To  consolidate  the  interest  and  confirm  the  confi 
dence  of  our  friends  ;  to  try  our  strength ;  to  familiarize 
the  people  with  what  we  aim  at ;  to  dissipate  the  appre 
hension  which  important  innovations  generally  produce, 
and  to  provoke  the  resentment  of  Congress,  with  a  view 

*  Gayarre's  History  of  Louisiana,  Vol.  III.,  p.  227. 


84  THE    BLENNERHASSETT    PAPERS. 

to  stimulate  that  body  into  some  invidious  political  act 
which  might  excite  the  passions  of  the  people ;  these  are 
the  motives  which  influence  me,  and  on  which  I  rely  for 
my  justification." 

Wilkinson's  solicitude  for  the  measure  at  length 
became  so  apparent,  that  it  excited  the  suspicions  of 
the  people.  But,  judicious  in  selection  of  his  agents — 
adroit  in  pushing  others  forward,  wnile  he,  the  arch 
mover,  concealed  himself  behind  the  screen  of  secrecy, 
corresponding  monthly  with  the  Spanish  authorities,  and 
forwarding  volumes  of  plans  and  information  respecting 
affairs,  not  only  in  Kentucky,  but  throughout  the  United 
States,  he  presents  an  unparalleled  success  in  the  art  of 
traitorous  diplomacy. 

General  Morgan  was  now  actually  in  league  with  the 
Spanish  authorities.  He  had  accepted  his  grant ;  had 
surveyed  the  land,  and  laid  out  the  town  of  New  Madrid. 
It  was  a  princely  donation,  extending  from  the  mouth 
of  the  St.  Francis  to  point  Cinque  Hommes,  embracing 
from  twelve  to  fifteen  million  of  acres.  Already  had 
fifty  adventurous  settlers  planted  themselves  in  this 
garden  of  the  Western  wilderness.  But  the  settlement 
presented  a  serious  impediment  to  Wilkinson's  progress. 
It  was  too  near  the  scene  of  his  own  operations  not  to 
become  familiar  with  his  intrigues ;  besides,  it  was 
known  that  the  town  had  been  purposely  established  to 
intercept  descending  trade,  for  which  reason  it  had  been 
declared  a  free  port  of  entry.  "  Probably,"  says  Wil 
kinson  to  Miro,*  "it  will  destroy  the  noble  fabric  of 

*  Gayarre's  History  of  Louisiana,  Vol.  III.,  p.  244. 


SATAN    REPROVING   SIN.  85 

which  we  have  laid  out  the  foundation,  and  which  we 
are  endeavoring  to  complete." 

"  I  am  informed,"  he  continues,  "  that  Morgan  intends  , 
visiting  you  as  soon  as  he  shall  have  finished  the  survey 
of  the  lands  conceded  to  him.  Permit  me  to  supplicate 
you,  my  esteemed  friends,  not  to  give  him  any  knowl 
edge  of  my  plans,  sentiments,  or  designs.  It  is  long 
since  he  has  become  jealous  of  me;  and  you  may  rest 
assured  that,  in  reality,  he  is  not  well  affected  toward 
our  cause,  but  that  he  allows  himself  to  be  entirely 
ruled  by  motives  of  the  vilest  self-interest,  and,  there 
fore,  that  he  will  not  scruple  on  his  return  to  destroy 
me." 

That  Morgan  was  prompted  by  the  incentive  with 
which  he  had  been  charged,  Miro  did  not  feel  disposed 
to  question.  Men  were  only  to  be  influenced  in  such  an 
undertaking  by  the  strongest  considerations  of  private 
advantage.  In  fact,  it  was  to  that  interest  only  he 
appealed,  and  by  it  alone  he  could  hope  for  success. 
But,  emanating  from  such  a  source,  it  was  Satan  reprov 
ing  sin.  Himself  a  soldier  and  officer  of  the  Revolution, 
who  had  passed  successfully  through  many  a  scene  of 
doubtful  conflict ;  who,  at  the  sacrifice  of  his  private  for 
tune,  and  at  the  imminent  peril  of  his  life,  had  aided 
in  effecting  the  independence  of  that  country  he  now 
secretly  conspired  against ;  who  had  received  her  honors, 
her  confidence,  and  her  gratitude ; — was  not  he  himself 
now  seeking,  for  Spanish  influence  and  Spanish  gold,  to 
tear  down  the  noble  fabric  he  had  helped  to  rear,  and 
transfer  to  Spanish  despotism  those  liberties  for  which  so 
gallantly  he  had  fought?  "It  is  not  necessary,"  says 


86  THE    BLENNERHASSETT    PAPERS. 

Wilkinson  to  Gardoqui,*  "  to  suggest  to  a  gentleman  of 
your  experience  and  knowledge  that  man  throughout  the 
world  is  governed  by  private  interest,  however  variously 
modified  it  may  be.  Some  men  are  avaricious,  some  are 
vain,  some  are  ambitious.  To  detect  the  predominant 
passion, — to  lay  hold,  and  to  make  the  most  of  it, — is 
the  most  profound  secret  of  political  science." 

Wilkinson's  object  was  too  transparent  not  to  be 
detected  by  the  penetration  of  Miro.  "  Some  men  are 
avaricious,  some  are  vain,  some  ambitious."  Wilkinson, 
he  knew,  combined  the  whole.  "  Hundreds,"  says  he  in 
a  subsequent  letter,f  "  have  applied  to  me  on  this  subject 
who  are  determined  to  follow  my  example ;  and  I  do 
not  deceive  myself,  nor  do  I  deceive  you,  sir,  when  I 
affirm  that  it  is  in  my  power  to  lead  a  large  body  of 
the  most  opulent  and  most  respectable  of  my  fellow- 
citizens  whither  I  shall  go  myself  at  their  head ;  and  I 
flatter  myself  that,  after  the  dangers  I  have  run,  and 
the  sacrifices  which  I  have  made — after  having  put  my 
honor  and  my  life  in  your  hands — you  can  have  no 
doubt  of  my  favorable  disposition  toward  the  interests 
of  his  Catholic  Majesty,  so  long  as  my  poor  services 
may  be  necessary." 

"  After  having  read  these  remarks,  you  will  be  sur 
prised  at  being  informed  that,  lately,  I  have,  jointly 
with  several  gentlemen  of  this  country,  applied  to  Don 
Diego  Gardoqui  for  a  concession  of  land,  in  order  to 
form  a  settlement  on  the  Yazoo.  The  motive  of  this 


*1  Jan'y,  1789;    Gayarre,  Vol.  Ill,  p.  247. 
tGayarre,  Vol.  Ill,  p.  233,  Feb.  12,  1789. 


BRITISH   INTRIGUE.  87 

application  is  to  provide  a  place  of  refuge  for  myself  and 
my  adherents,  in  case  it  should  become  necessary  for  us 
to  retire  from  this  country  in  order  to  avoid  the  resent 
ment  of  Congress." 

In  the  meantime,  the  attention  of  the  representatives 
of  the  British  Government  had  been  attracted  toward 
the  intrigues  of  the  Spanish  authorities  with  some  of 
the  more  influential  citizens  of  the  West.  It  had  been 
currently  reported,  that  a  severance  from  the  Union  had 
been  determined  on,  and  that  the  people  were  ready  to 
throw  themselves  into  the  arms  of  any  power  which 
would  protect  them  from  Indian  hostilities,  and  guar 
antee  the  free  navigation  of  the  Mississippi. 

A  Doctor  Connally  was  deputed  by  Dorchester,  Gov 
ernor  of  Canada,  to  visit  Kentucky  and  ascertain  the 
disposition  of  the  people.  He  arrived  at  Louisville  in 
the  month  of  October,  1788,  having  traveled  through 
the  wilderness  from  Detroit  to  the  Great  Miami,  and 
thence  down  the  Ohio.  He  gave  attentive  audience  to 
the  numerous  complaints  of  the  citizens,  and  suggested 
a  plan  by  which  they  could  relieve  themselves  from 
the  embarrassments  which  the  neglect  of  Congress  had 
thrown  around  them.  Great  Britain,  he  asserted,  was 
desirous  to  assist  American  settlers  in  their  claim  to  the 
free  navigation  of  the  river.  She  would  join  them,  with 
zeal,  to  open  up  this  avenue  of  trade,  and  wrest  from  the 
Spanish  Crown  the  Territory  of  Louisiana.  Although 
the  forces  in  Canada  were  too  few  to  allow  of  any  dimi 
nution  of  their  number,  yet  Dorchester  stood  ready  to 
supply  the  implements  of  war,  and  would  equip  ten 
thousand  men  with  money,  provisions  and  clothing. 


88  THE    BLENNERHASSETT    PAPERS. 

As  soon  as  the  plan  of  action  should  be  agreed  upon, 
these  articles  would  be  forwarded  from  Detroit,  through 
Lake  Erie,  to  the  Miami,  and  thence  to  the  Wabash,  to 
be  transported  to  any  point  on  the  Ohio  where  the  neces 
sities  of  the  case  might  require.  A  fleet  of  light  vessels 
would  be  ready  at  Jamaica,  to  take  possession  of  the 
Balize,  simultaneously  with  an  attack  to  be  made  by  the 
upper  settlements.  He  desired  to  raise  two  regiments  in 
Kentucky,  and  was  authorized  by  Dorchester  to  confer 
rewards  and  honors  on  the  men  of  influence  who  might 
desire  to  join  him.  Officers  of  the  late  Continental 
army  who  would  take  command,  should  rank  the  same 
in  grade  with  the  officers  of  Great  Britain.* 

The  proposition  of  Connally  met  with  little  encour 
agement.  Dorchester  had  incited  the  hostilities  of 
Indians  against  the  Government  of  the  United  States, 
and  the  inhabitants  of  the  West  had  been  the  chief 
sufferers/  Their  desolated  homes  were  yet  draped  in 
mourning  for  the  victims  of  savage  barbarity.  Their 
wounds  were  too  fresh,  and  their  resentment  too  impla 
cable,  easily  to  forget  the  sanguinary  authors  of  their 
sorrow,  or  to  forgive  their  not  less  cruel  abettors.  Wil 
kinson  had  heard  of  Connally's  arrival,  and  wrote  him, 
requesting  an  interview.  His  object  was  to  penetrate  his 
designs,  that  they  might  be  communicated  to  the  Span 
ish  Governor.  Connally  was  unsuspecting,  and  revealed 
his  plans  without  reserve.  Wilkinson  listened  atten 
tively,  and  was  surprised  at  the  boldness  of  his  measures 
and  the  extent  of  his  ambition.  Great  Britain  was  not 

*  Marshall' s  History  of  Kentucky,  Vol.  I,  p.  348. 


COUNTERPLOTTING.  89 

only  contemplating  a  recovery  of  her  American  possess 
ions,  lost  to  her  at  the  conventions  of  Utrecht  and  Aix 
la  Chapelle,  but,  also,  the  extension  of  their  limits  to 
the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  His  own  interests  were  not  less 
involved  in  the  scheme  than  those  of  Spain;  for  with 
the  loss  of  Spanish  empire  followed  the  loss,  to  him,  of 
Spanish  favor  and  contemplated  fortune.  It  was  import 
ant  to  check  the  enterprise ;  hut  it  was  equally  import 
ant  to  avoid  suspicion,  and  give  no  offence  to  Connally. 
He  desired  to  impress  him  with  the  implacability  of  pri 
vate  resentment,  and  the  impossibility  of  an  English 
alliance.  The  manner  of  its  accomplishment  is  com 
municated  to  Miro  in  his  letter  of  the  12th  of  Feb 
ruary,  1789.* 

"  In  order  to  justify  this  opinion  of  mine,  and  to 
induce  him  to  go  back,  I  employed  a  hunter,  who 
feigned  attempting  his  life.  The  pretext  assumed  by 
the  hunter  was  the  avenging  of  the  death  of  his  son, 
murdered  by  the  Indians  at  the  supposed  instigation  of 
the  English.  As  I  hold  the  commission  of  a  civil  judge, 
it  was,  of  course,  to  be  my  duty  to  protect  him  against 
the  pretended  murderer,  whom  I  caused  to  be  arrested 
and  held  in  custody.  I  availed  myself  of  this  circum 
stance  to  communicate  to  Connally  my  fear  of  not 
being  able  to  answer  for  the  security  of  his  person,  and 
I  expressed  my  doubts  whether  he  could  escape  with  his 
life.  It  alarmed  him  so  much,  that  he  begged  me  to 
give  him  an  escort  to  conduct  him  out  of  our  territory, 
which  I  readily  assented  to  ;  and  on  the  20th  of  ]!N"ovem- 

*Gayarre    Vol.  III.,  p.  237 


90  THE    BLENNERHASSETT    PAPERS. 

ber  tie  re-crossed  the  Ohio  on  his  way  back  to  Detroit.  I 
did  not  dismiss  him  without  having  previously  impressed 
upon  him  the  propriety  of  informing  me,  in  as  short  a 
time  as  possible,  of  the  ultimate  designs  of  Lord  Dor 
chester." 

To  induce  emigration  and  trade,  the  Spanish  Gov 
ernment,  contrary  to  the  remonstrances  of  Wilkinson, 
finally  consented  that  the  products  of  the  upper  coun 
try  might  pass  through  the  Mississippi  on  the  payment 
of  a  duty  of  fifteen  per  cent.  This,  as  he  had  foretold, 
operated  to  retard  the  progress  of  his  plans.  With  the 
prospect  of  a  ready  market,  labor  resumed  its  wonted 
activity,  and  the  murmurs  of  the  people  were  silenced. 
Lands  rose  rapidly  in  value,  wages  were  increased,  and 
the  pursuits  of  agriculture  promised  an  adequate  return 
for  the  capital  employed.  Apprehensive  of  having  it 
perish  on  their  hands,  they  had  heretofore  been  deterred 
from  raising  more  than  the  consumption  of  the  imme 
diate  neighborhood  demanded ;  "  but  now,"  said  Wil 
kinson,*  "they  have  .no  longer  any  such  fears,  on 
account  of  the  ready  outlet  they  find,  at  New  Orleans, 
for  the  fruits  of  their  labor." 

Other  circumstances,  too,  were  rapidly  combining  to 
allay  the  public  discontent.  As  a  measure  of  policy,  the 
President  had  distributed  a  few  of  the  public  offices 
among  those  who  were  regarded  as  disaffected  toward 
the  Government,  and  whose  loyalty  might  be  purchased 
as  readily  by  the  bestowal  of  executive  favor  as  by  the 
tempting  promises  of  Spanish  gold.  "On  my  arrival 

*Gayarre,  Vol.  III.,  p.  277. 


COVERING   RETREAT.  Gl 

here,'*  writes  Wilkinson  to  Miro,*  "  I  discovered  a  great 
change  in  those  who  had  been  so  far  our  warmest  friends. 
Many  who  loudly  repudiated  all  connection  with  the 
Union,  now  remain  silent.  I  attribute  this  to  the  hope 
of  promotion,  or  to  the  fear  of  punishment.  According 
to  my  prognostic,  Washington  has  begun  to  operate  on 
the  chief  heads  of  this  district.  Innis  has  been  appointed 
a  Federal  Judge,  with  an  annual  salary  of  one  thousand 
dollars;  George  Nicholas,  District  Attorney;  Samuel 
McDowel,  son  of  the  President  of  the  Convention,  and 
Marshall,  to  offices  somewhat  resembling  that  of  Alguazil 
Mayor;  and  Peyton  Short,  the  brother  of  our  chargd 
d'affaires  at  Versailles,  is  made  a  Custom-house  officer ; 
but  he  has  resigned,  and .  will,  probably  visit  you  next 
spring.  I  do  not  place  much  reliance  on  George  Mcholas 
and  Samuel  McDowel.  But  I  know  Harry  Innis  is 
favorable  to  Spain  and  hostile  to  Congress,  and  I  am 
authorized  to  say,  that  he  would  prefer  receiving  a  pen 
sion  from  New  Orleans  than  from  New  York.  Should 
the  king  approve  our  design,  on  this  point,  it  will  have 
to  be  broached  with  much  delicacy,  caution  and  judg 
ment."  He  adds  :  "  I  fear  that  we  can  rely  on  a  few 
only  of  my  countrymen,  if  we  can  not  make  use  of 
liberal  donations." 

But  Wilkinson's  apprehensions  began  now  to  be 
excited  for  his  own  safety.  If  he  was  to  be  thus  aban 
doned  by  his  associates,  and  his  plans  defeated  by  the 
admission  of  Kentucky  into  the  Union,  some  provision 
was  necessary  by  which  to  escape  the  odium  of  defeat. 

*26th  January,  1790.     Gayarre,  Vol.  Ill,  p.  278. 


92  THE    BLENNERHASSETT    PAPERS. 

The  monopoly  of  the  upper  trade  had  been  swept  from 
his  grasp  by  the  last  act  of  the  Court  at  Madrid.  It  had 
placed  on  terms  of  equality  all  who  possessed  the  capital 
and  energy  to  compete  for  the  patronage  of  the  Spanish 
Government.  Scores  of  boats,  laden  with  the  products 
of  the  country,  were  pouring  their  commerce  into  the 
lap  of  New  Orleans.  The  new  Constitution  proved  much 
more  popular  than  was  generally  anticipated,  and  was, 
day  by  day,  increasing  in  favor  with  the  people.  Wash 
ington,  too,  the  illustrious  commander  in  the  Revolution, 
was  now  the  chosen  chief  of  the  Union,  and  his  selection 
had  inspired  a  spirit  of  loyalty  which  it  was  difficult, 
nay,  dangerous  to  tamper  with.  Already  had  Wilkinson 
been  marked  as  a  traitor,  and  spies  were  vigilant  in  seek 
ing  the  evidences  of  his  intrigue.  "  My  situation,"  says 
he,*  "  is  mortally  painful ;  because,  while  I  abhor  du 
plicity,  I  am  obliged  to  dissemble.  This  makes  me 
extremely  desirous  of  resorting  to  some  contrivance 
that  will  put  me  in  a  position  in  which  I  flatter  myself 
to  be  able  to  profess  myself  publicly  the  vassal  of  his 
Catholic  Majesty,  and,  therefore,  to  claim  his  protection 
in  whatever  public  or  private  measures  I  may  devise  to 
promote  the  interest  of  the  Crown."  "  You  may  rest 
assured,"  he  adds,  "  that  the  constant  persecutions  of 
Congress  can  not  produce  the  slightest  impression  on  my 
attachment  and  zeal  for  the  interests  of  Spain,  which  I 
shall  always  be  ready  to  defend  with  my  tongue,  my  pen 
and  my  sword" 

It  would  be  presumed  that  Miro  would  gladly  have 

*  Gayarre,  Vol.  III.  p.  280. 


93 

assented  to  the  proposition,  and  suggested  the  "  contriv 
ance  "  by  which  to  have  secured  him  "  a  vassal  of  Spain," 
but  the  Spanish  Governor  knew  too  well  that  Wilkin 
son's  power  to  subserve  his  Majesty's  interest,  lay  in  his 
connection  with  the  people  of  Kentucky,  and  his  intimate 
knowledge  of  the  affairs  of  the  Federal  Government. 
For  were  it  once  understood  he  had  become  a  subject 
of  Spain,  he  would,  of  necessity,  be  excluded  from  par 
ticipation  in  their  affairs,  and  his  influence  lost  to  the 
interest  of  Louisiana. 

"  I  much  regret,"  replied  Miro,*  "  that  General  Wash 
ington  and  Congress  suspect  your  connection  with  me, 
but  it  does  not  appear  to  me  opportune  that  you  declare 
yourself  a  Spaniard,  for  the  reason  which  you  state.  I 
am  of  opinion  that  this  idea  of  yours  is  not  convenient, 
and  that,  on  the  contrary,  it  might  have  prejudicial  results. 
Therefore,  continue  to  dissemble,  and  to  work  as  you 
promise,  and  as  I  have  above  indicated. 

Miro  now  began  to  feel  gloomy  forebodings  of  the 
result.  Wilkinson's  late  communication  had  dampened 
his  hopes,  and  rendered  him  suspicious  even  of  the  Gen 
eral  himself.  He  was  either  the  victim  of  punic  faith,  or 
his  American  emissary  had  been  himself  deceived.  Yet 
he  was  reluctant  to  believe  that  Wilkinson,  although 
willing  to  become  a  traitor  to  the  Union,  could  also 
prove  a  traitor  to  Spain.  Perhaps  an  over- weening  con 
fidence  had  induced  him  to  promise  what  he  never  could 
perform.  It  might  be  that,  full  of  zeal,  and  persuaded, 
from  the  experience  of  the  past,  that  he  could  bring 

*Gayarre,  Vol.  Ill,  p.  284. 


94  THE    BLENNERHASSETT    PAPERS. 

round  to  his  own  opinions  the  chief  men  of  Kentucky, 
he  had  declared  in  anticipation  that  he  had  won  over 
many  of  them.  But  still,  it  was  a  fact,  that  he  had  never 
once  approached  them  on  the  main  question,  and  now 
that  encountering  invincible  obstacles  and,  above  all, 
personal  risks,  it  might  be  his  desire  to  avail  himself  of 
the  motive  set  forth  in  his  letter  to  cover  his  precipitation. 

"  Nevertheless,"  said  Miro,  "  I  am  of  the  opinion  that 
said  Brigadier-General  ought  to  be  retained  in  the  service 
of  his  Majesty,  with  an  annual  pension  of  two  thousand 
dollars,  which  I  have  already  proposed  in  my  confidential 
dispatch,  No.  46,*  because  the  inhabitants  of  Kentucky, 
and  of  the  other  establishments  on  the  Ohio,  will  not  be 
able  to  undertake  any  thing  against  this  province  with 
out  his  communicating  it  to  us,  and  without  his.  making, 
at  the  same  time,  all  possible  efforts  to  drive  them  from 
any  bad  designs  against  us,  as  he  has  already  done  re 
cently.  Miro  concludes,  by  recommending  that  a  pension 
be  granted  to  Sebastian,  "  because  I  think  it  proper"  said 
he,  "  to  treat  with  this  individual  who  will  be  able  to  enlighten 
me  on  the  conduct  of  Wilkinson,  and  on  what  we  have  to 
expect  from  the  plans  of  the  said  Brigadier-  General" 

We  have  at  length  arrived  at  a  point  in  the  history  of 
this  intrigue  which  renders  it  unnecessary  to  pursue  it 
further.  The  key  is  disclosed  which  unlocks  the  door 
of  mystery,  and  reveals  other  truths  which  for  half  a 
2entury  have  been  enveloped  in  darkness  and  in  doubt ; 
Wilkinson  pensioned  to  guard  the  interests  of  Spain,  and 
Sebastian  to  betray  his  confederate  Wilkinson. 

*Gayarre,  Vol.  Ill,  p.  286. 


STILL    TROUBLED.  95 

Time  rolled  on.  Kentucky  had  been  admitted  into 
the  Union,  as  an  independent  State.  Wilkinson  bore 
the  commission  of  a  Lieutenant-Colonel,  signed  by 
George  Washington,  and  was  in  actual  command  of  the 
American  forces.  The  announcement  of  his  appoint 
ment  spread  consternation  among  his  enemies,  and  elated 
his  confederates.  The  question  was  repeatedly  asked, 
"By  whom  was  he  recommended?"  "By  myself/' 
replied  Col.  Marshall,  who  had  been  his  most  formida 
ble  opponent.  He  considered  Wilkinson,  he  said,  well 
qualified  for  the  commission  he  bore;  that  while  he 
remained  unemployed  by  Government,  he  regarded  him 
as  dangerous  to  the  tranquillity  of  Kentucky,  perhaps  to 
her  absolute  safety.  If  his  commission  did  not  secure 
his  fidelity,  it  would  place  him  under  control,  in  the 
midst  of  faithful  officers,  whose  vigilance  would  make 
him  harmless,  if  it  did  not  make  him  honest.  Wilkin 
son  would  not  be  permitted  to  command  the  army  while 
there  existed  a  doubt  of  his  integrity,  and  General 
Washington  remained  as  President  of  the  Republic.  At 
all  events,  he  could  see  no  good  reason  for  not  putting 
the  lion  in  the  toils  which  he  himself  had  solicited.* 

Although  the  admission  of  Kentucky  into  the  Union 
for  a  time  silenced  the  complaints  of  the  people,  yet  it 
failed  to  restore  a  unity  of  sentiment  and  concert  of  action. 
The  navigation  of  the  Mississippi  was  still  the  subject  of 
discord,  not  only  between  the  authorities  of  Louisiana, 
and  the  western  inhabitants  of  the  States,  but  also 
between  the  mother  country  and  the  American  Repub- 

*  Marshall's  History  of  Kentucky,  Vol.  II,  p.  391 


96  THE   BLENNERHASSETT   PAPERS. 

lie.  Negotiations  had  been  protracted,  misunderstandings 
had  ensued,  and  an  imbittered  diplomatic  controversy 
threatened  a  collision  of  arms  between  the  contending 
countries.  Miro,  after  a  service  of  twenty  years,  had 
been  recalled  to  Spain,  at  his  own  request,  and  the  gov 
ernment  of  the  province  committed  to  the  Baron  de 
Carondolet.  Louis  Sixteenth  had  perished  on  the  scaf 
fold,  and  Charles  the  Third,  as  the  avenger  of  his  death, 
had  declared  war  against  his  ruthless  executioners.  The 
astounding  news  of  the  French  Revolution  had  crossed 
the  Atlantic  and  penetrated  the  forests  of  the  western 
hemisphere.  It  gave  new  hopes  to  the  friends  of  free 
dom  in  Europe,  and  fresh  impetus  to  the  cause  of  liberty 
throughout  the  civilized  world. 

Genet,  the  representative  of  the  French  Republic,  had 
not  been  a  disinterested  spectator  of  the  intrigues  of 
Spain.  His  mind  involuntarily  reverted  to  that  unfortu 
nate  day  when  the  King  of  France,  grown  disgusted 
with  a  possession  which,  for  more  than  half  a  century, 
had  been  the  cause  of  heavy  expense,  without  giving 
even  a  faint  promise  of  adequate  compensation  in  the 
future,  ceded  to  his  cousin  the  King  of  Spain,  without 
any  remuneration  whatever,  but  merely  from  the  pure 
impulses  of  his  generous  heart,  and  from  a  sense  of  the 
affection  and  friendship  which  existed  between  them,  all 
the  country  known  under  the  name  of  Louisiana ;  thus, 
by  one  stroke  of  the  pen,  stripping  France  "  of  those 
boundless  possessions  which  she  had  acquired  at  the  cost 
of  so  much  heroic  blood  and  so  much  treasure,  and 
which  extended  in  one  proud,  uninterrupted  line  from 
the  mouth  of  the  St.  Lawrence  to  that  of  the  Mississippi ; 


BIENVILLE.  97 

the  adventurous  and  much-enduring  population  which 
had  settled  there,  and  had  overcome  so  many  perils, 
under  the  flag  of  France,  coldly  delivered  over  to  the 
yoke  of  foreign  masters."  He  heard  yet  the  prayerful 
remonstrance  of  the  citizens  of  New  Orleans  against  the 
impolitic  and  ungrateful  usurpation.  In  a  retrospect  of 
the  past  he  saw  the  venerable  Bienville,  with  a  hody  bent 
by  the  infirmities  of  eighty-six  years,  yet  with  his  intel 
lectual  faculties  unimpaired,  with  the  tears  gushing  from 
his  eyes,  prostrate  before  the  Duke  de  Choiseul,  in  hum 
ble  supplication,  pleading  the  cause  of  that  country  for 
whose  welfare  and  prosperity  he  had  spent  a  life  of  toil 
and  self-denial.  "  Was  France  now  to  give  up  the  last 
inch  of  that  territory  which  he  had  acquired  for  her  at 
the  cost  of  so  many  perils,  and  so  much  endurance? 
Was  it  for  the  Spaniards  he  had  called  New  Orleans  into 
life  ?  Were  the  Louisianians ;  were  the  numerous  mem 
bers  of  his  own  family,  whose  homes  he  had  selected  in 
the  cradle  of  his  future  fame ;  were  his  many  friends 
and  the  old  companions  of  his  labors,  to  be  no  longer  his 
countrymen  ? "  *  He  recalled  also  the  indignation  of 
those  Acadians  who,  under  the  humiliating  treaty 
between  England  and  France,  had  been  thrust  out 
by  British  force  from  their  quiet  and  happy  habita 
tions,  where 

"  Blemidon  rose,  and  the  forests  of  old,  and 
Aloft  on  the  mountains 


*  Gayarre's  History  of  Louisiana,  Vol.  II,  p.  129. 

7 


98  THE    BLENNERHASSETT    PAPERS. 

Sea-fogs  pitched  their  tents,  and  mists 

From  the  mighty  Atlantic 
Looked  on  the  happy  valley," 

and  who  had, 

"  Friendless,  homeless,  hopeless,  wandered  from 

City  to  city; 
From  the  cold  lakes  of  the  North  to 

Sultry  savannas; 
From  the  bleak  shores  of  the  sea,  to  the  land 

Where  the  Father  of  Waters 
Seizes  the  hills  in  his  hands,  and 

Drags  them  down  to  the  ocean." 

How  they  wept  on  the  receipt  of  the  intelligence  that 
they  were  again  transferred  to  a  foreign  power  against 
their  consent  and  without  their  knowledge ;  how  Lafr£- 
rilere  and  his  followers  had  defied  the  authorities  of 
Spain,  and  declared  never  to  acknowledge  any  domin 
ion  but  that  of  their  own  beloved  France ;  how  they 
took  possession  of  the  government,  and  were  only  sub 
dued  by  the  appearance  at  the  Balize  of  a  Spanish 
Armada  under  the  renowned  0'B.eiley.  He  had  reason 
for  believing  that  a  remnant  of  that  feeling  still  existed 
among  the  French  settlers  in  Louisiana ;  and  although 
years  had  elapsed,  and  most,  if  not  all,  who  had  been 
the  actors  in  those  scenes  had  passed  away,  yet  it  was 
believed  that  their  recollections  were  still  green  by  tra 
dition,  and  their  descendants  still  cherished  an  affection 
for  the  land  of  their  forefathers ;  and  now  that  France 
had  become  the  champion  of  free  governments  and 
republican  liberty,  more  than  ever  would  they  long  for 
her  dominion,  or  seek  her  protection  in  any  effort  they 


GENET.  99 

might  make  to  secure  a  like  government  for  them 
selves. 

Genet,  therefore,  set  himself  privately  to  work  to 
effect  a  revolution  in  Louisiana;  hoping,  with  the  aid 
of  the  western  settlers,  to  establish  an  independent 
government  under  the  protection  of  France.  At  his 
instance,  Jacobin  clubs  were  formed  in  many  of  the 
principal  cities  of  the  United  States,  which  were  to  be 
the  active  agencies  for  effecting  this  purpose.  The 
society  at  Philadelphia,  in  the  beginning  of  the  year 
1794,  had  caused  to  be  printed  and  circulated  an  address 
from  the  freemen  of  France  to  their  brothers  in  Louisi 
ana.  In  this  they  declared  that  the  moment  had  arrived 
when  despotism  must  disappear  from  the  earth ;  that 
France,  having  obtained  her  freedom,  and  constituted 
herself  into  a  Republic,  after  having  made  known  to 
mankind  their  rights,  after  having  achieved  the  most 
glorious  victories  over  her  enemies,  was  not  satisfied 
with  success,  by  which  she  alone  would  profit,  but 
declared  to  all  nations  that  she  was  ready  to  give  her 
powerful  assistance  to  those  that  might  desire  to  follow 
her  example ;  that  the  French  nation,  knowing  their  sen 
timents,  and  indignant  at  seeing  them  the  victims  of 
the  tyrants  by  whom  they  had  been  so  long  oppressed, 
could  and  would  avenge  their  wrongs.  "  Now  is  the 
time,"  continues  the  address,  "  to  cease  being  slaves  of  a 
government  to  which  you  were  shamefully  sold,  and  no 
longer  to  be  led  on,  like  a*  herd  of  cattle,  by  men  who, 
with  one  word,  can  strip  you  of  what  you  hold  most, 
dear — liberty  and  property." 

Recapitulating   a   long    catalogue    of    grievances    to 


100  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

which    their    brothers   had    been   subjected,   they   say : 
"  You  quiver,  no   doubt,  with   indignation.      You   feel 
in   your  hearts   the   desire  of  deserving  the   honorable 
appellation   of   freemen ;    but   the   fear   of   not   having 
assistance,  and  of  failing  in  your  attempt,  deadens  your 
zeal.     Dismiss  your  apprehensions ;   and  know  ye  that 
your  brethren,   the    French,   who   have   attacked   with 
success  the  Spanish  Government  in  Europe,  will  in  a 
short  time  present  themselves  on  your  coast  with  naval 
forces ;    that  the  republicans  of  the  western  portion  of 
the  United   States   are   ready  to  come   down   the  Ohio 
and  Mississippi,  in  company  with  a  considerable  num 
ber  of  French  republicans,  and  to  rush  to  your  assist 
ance,  under   the  banners   of  France   and  Liberty,   and 
that  you  have  every  assurance  of  success.     Therefore, 
inhabitants    of    Louisiana,   show   who   you   are;    prove 
that  you  have   not  been   stupefied    by   despotism,  and 
that  you  have  retained   in  your  breasts  French  valor 
and  intrepidity.     Demonstrate  that  you  are  worthy  of 
being  free  and  independent,  because  we  do  not  solicit 
you  to  unite  yourselves  with  us,  but  to  seek  your  own 
freedom.     When  you  shall  have  the  sole  control  of  your 
own  actions,  you  will  be  able  to  adopt  a  republican  con 
stitution,  and,  being  assisted  by  France,  as  long  as  your 
weakness  will  not  permit  you  to  protect  or  defend  your 
selves,  it  will  be  in  your  power  to  unite  voluntarily  with  ' 
her  and  your  neighbors,  the  United  States,  forming  with 
these  two  Republics  an  alliance  which  will  be  the  liberal 
basis  on  which,  henceforth,  shall  stand  our  mutual  politi 
cal  and  commercial  interests.     Your  country  will  derive 
the  greatest  advantages  from  so  auspicious  a  revolution ; 


G.    ROGERS    CLARK.  101 

and  the  glory  with  which  you  will  cover  yourselves,  will 
equal  the  prosperity  which  you  will  secure  for  the  coun 
try  and  for  posterity.  Away  with  pusillanimity;  Ca  ira! 
ca  ira !  audaces  fortuna  juvat." 

Genet  also  dispatched  Lachaise  and  Michaux  to  Ken 
tucky,  to  organize  a  force  which  was  to  descend  the 
Mississippi  to  ~New  Orleans,  and  act  in  concert  with  the 
French  inhabitants.  The  time  of  their  arrival  in  the 
country  was  peculiarly  propitious.  They  found  the  peo 
ple  divided  in  political  sentiment,  but  all  insisting  on  free 
navigation.  Jacobin  clubs  were  organized,  and  inflam 
matory  appeals  were  issued,  setting  forth  the  grievous 
burthens  under  which  they  continued  to  labor.  Too 
long,  they  asserted,  had  the  citizens  of  the  West  placed 
implicit  dependence  on  the  impartiality  and  virtue  of 
the  General  Government.  Patient  under  the  ungener-. 
ous  local  policy  by  which  that  government  had  been 
uniformly  actuated;  patient  under  the  delays  which  it 
had  feigned,  and  the  obstacles  which  it  had  opposed  to 
the  procurement  of  their  rights ;  patient  under  the  for 
ever-to-be-detested  attempt  to  barter  away  that  right; 
they  had  hitherto  submitted  to  the  oppressive  exactions 
of  the  jealous  Spaniards,  and  had  not  even  raised  their 
faltering  voices  to  say  to  the  arbiters  of  their  fate  :  "  You 
have  done  amiss."  "  Awake,"  they  exclaimed,  "  from 
your  lethargy!  think  and  act  for  yourselves.  Let  the 
example  of  FRANCE  and  her  glorious  success  animate 
you  in  the  pursuit  of  those  advantages  which  nature 
has  bestowed  upon  your  country." 

General  George  Rogers  Clark,  a  man  of  distinguished 
military  merit,  then  a  prominent  citizen  of  Kentucky, 


102  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

had  been  commissioned,  by  Genet,  a  Major- General  in 
the  French  Revolutionary  Legions  on  the  Mississippi, 
with  power  to  name  and  commission  other  officers,  and 
to  raise  a  military  force  for  the  reduction  of  the  Spanish 
posts  on  that  river ;  to  open  its  trade,  and  give  Freedom 
to  its  inhabitants. 

All  persons  serving  the  expedition  were  to  receive  one 
thousand  acres  of  land ;  those  engaging  for  one  year,  two 
thousand ;  and  an  enlistment  of  two  years,  or  during  the 
war  with  France,  three  thousand  acres.  Officers  were 
to  receive  in  proportion  to  other  French  troops ;  lawful 
plunder  was  to  be  equally  divided  according  to  the  cus 
toms  of  war,  and  every  precaution  taken  to  secure  the 
safe  return  of  those  who  might  wish  to  quit  the  service. 
France  was  to  supply  the  munitions  of  war,  and  commis 
sions  to  grade  according  to  the  number  that  each  could 
bring  into  the  service. 

Genet  had  also  sent  his  emissaries  to  other  States  in 
the  South  and  West,  who  had  been  successful  in  stimu 
lating  a  spirit  of  adventure  among  many  of  the  inhabi 
tants.  In  Tennessee,  and  on  the  frontiers  of  Georgia,  it 
was  reported  that  large  forces  were  being  assembled, 
who,  it  was  expected,  would  act  in  concert  with  the 
Creek  warriors,  in  a  descent  upon  the  Spanish  dominions. 

Thus,  through  the  energy  of  the  French  plenipoten 
tiary,  had  a  formidable  expedition  been  set  on  foot  for 
the  subjugation  of  Louisiana,  with  the  declared  purpose 
of  revolutionizing  her  institutions,  and  rendering  her  an 
independent  Republic,  with  Genet  as  its  recognized  head. 

Of  this  new  enterprise  against  the  interests  of  Spain, 
Wilkinson  and  his  adherents  were  silent,  but  not  careless, 


WASHINGTON   EMBARRASSED.  103 

observers.  Although  then  holding  the  commission  of  a 
lieutenant-colonel  in  the  army  of  the  United  States,  and, 
as  was  surmised,  a  secret  pensioner  of  his  Catholic 
Majesty,  he  neither  openly  encouraged  nor  publicly  con 
demned  the  contemplated  expedition.  The  terms  of  the 
address,  the  grievances  enumerated,  and  the  measures 
of  relief  proposed,  were  almost  in  the  exact  language 
with  which  it  had  been  his  custom  to  inflame  the  peo 
ple,  except  the  new  idea  of  wresting  from  Spain  her 
possessions  in  Louisiana. 

In  the  mean  time,  rumors  of  the  projected  design  hav 
ing  reached  the  ears  of  the  President,  General  Washing 
ton  issued  his  instructions  to  Generals  Wayne  and  St. 
Clair,  as  also  the  Governor  Shelby,  of  Kentucky,  com 
manding  them  immediately  to  suppress  any  movement 
having  for  its  aim  any  attack  against  the  Spanish  domin 
ions.  The  reply  of  the  latter  caused  the  executive  and 
his  cabinet  much  concern.  They  feared  that  Shelby 
himself  had  either  given  in  his  adhesion  to  the  cause,  or 
was  privately  disposed  to  countenance  its  execution. 

The  great  sympathy  which  was  manifested  for  the 
friends  of  liberty  in  France — a  deep  sense  of  gratitude  for 
her  generous  aid  in  the  American  Revolution,  together 
with  a  lawless  spirit  of  adventure  in  many  of  the  more 
restless  and  discontented  leaders  of  the  country,  rendered 
the  extent  of  Genet's  influence  among  the  people  a  matter 
of  painful  uncertainty  to  the  President.  He  felt  his  situa 
tion  to  be  one  of  embarrassment.  While  he  conceived 
it  to  be  the  true  policy  of  the  Government  to  observe  a 
strict  neutrality  between  the  contending  powers  of  Europe, 
<here  was,  nevertheless,  a  large  party,  with  powerful 


104  THE    BLEXNERIIASSETT    PAPERS. 

leaders  at  their  head,  who  differed  from  him  in  opinion, 
and  who  openly  declared  their  sympathy  for  the  masses 
contending  against  despotism  in  the  old  world.  Again, 
it  was  a  fact,  that  having  successfully  thrown  off  the 
authority  of  Great  Britain,  many  were  impatient  of 
restraint,  and  yielded,  at  most,  a  reluctant  obedience  to 
the  power  of  the  new  Government.  Yet,  while  these 
symptoms  of  revolt  were  manifesting  themselves  in 
several  parts  of  the  country,  and  seemed  to  threaten 
the  stability  and  security  of  the  Union,  they  stimulated 
Washington  to  stricter  vigilance  and  more  decisive 
action.  He  feared  the  influence  of  Genet's  rash  and 
revolutionary  design,  condemned  his  interference  with 
the  peaceful  relations  of  the  United  States,  and  demanded 
his  recall.  Anxious  to  harmonize  the  interests  of  every 
section  of  the  confederacy,  he  considered  that  amicable 
relations  with  European  powers  were  indispensable  to 
the  prosperity,  if  not  to  the  existence,  of  the  Union  itself. 
General  Wayne  was  therefore  ordered  to  repair  immedi 
ately  to  Massac,  on  the  Ohio,  to  construct  a  military  fort 
and  intercept  any  descending  force  hostile  to  Louisiana. 

These  and  other  effective  measures  on  the  part  of  the 
executive,  together  with  the  condemnation  and  recall  of 
the  French  minister,  served  to  disband  the  enterprise, 
and,  for  a  time,  restore  tranquillity  to  the  country.  Thus 
were  the  citizens  of  the  West,  for  a  period  of  several 
years,  kept  in  constant  agitation  by  the  intrigues  of 
foreign  powers,  aided  by  the  disaffection  of  a  few  ambi 
tious  spirits,  who,  for  personal  aggrandizement,  were 
willing  to  sacrifice  their  own  integrity,  and  their  coun 
try's  welfare. 


CLOUDS   GATHERING.  105 


CHAPTER   VI. 

EIGHT  years  had  already  elapsed  since  Blennerhassett 
had  made  the  island  his  residence.  The  flowers  and 
shrubbery  planted  by  his  hands  had  now  sprang  up  in 
luxuriant  perfection,  and  regaled  the  senses  with  their 
fragrance.  The  products  of  his  husbandry  secured  at 
least  a  comfortable  supply  of  all  the  necessaries  of  life, 
and  more  than  this  would  have  been  superfluous.  The 
independence  of  his  situation  enabled  him  to  procure  any 
or  all  of  the  delicacies  which  a  more  epicurean  taste 
might  have  desired ;  but  these  had  been  resigned,  with 
the  pomp  and  glitter  of  his  former  station.  Around  him 
he  viewed  a  contented  family,  rejoicing  in  the  buoyancy 
of  health,  and  with  the  sprightliness  of  youthful  vivacity. 
The  returning  seasons  brought  with  them  returning 
pleasures.  New  scenes  of  interest,  new  engagements, 
and  wider  fields  of  usefulness,  daily  presented  themselves 
to  his  awakening  impulses ;  but,  in  the  midst  of  all  this 
peace  and  cheerfulness — this  "  constant  sunshine  of  the 
soul " — a  dark  and  portentous  cloud  gathered  in  the  hori 
zon  of  his  effulgent  future,  destined  soon  to  burst  with 
sad  fatality  upon  the  unsuspecting  circle  of  his  house 
hold. 

In  the  spring  of  1805,  Aaron  Burr,  late  Vice-President 
of  the  United  States,  after  the  closing  of  the  session  of 


106  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

Congress,  set  out  on  a  journey  through  the  Western 
States.  The  object  of  this  tour,  although  never  definitively 
declared,  was  doubtless  three-fold  : 

First.  To  ascertain  the  sentiments  of  the  people  of 
the  West  upon  the  subject  of  a  separation  from  the  At 
lantic  States. 

Secondly.  To  enlist  recruits,  and  make  arrangements 
for  a  private  expedition  against  Mexico  and  the  Spanish 
provinces,  in  the  event  of  a  war  between  the  United 
States  and  Spain,  which  at  that  time  seemed  inevitable. 

Thirdly.  In  the  event  of  a  failure  of  both  of  these 
measures,  to  purchase  a  tract  of  land  of  Baron  Bastrop, 
lying  in  the  Territory  of  Louisiana,  on  the  Washita  river. 
Upon  this,  he  contemplated  the  establishment  of  a  colony 
of  intelligent  and  wealthy  individuals,  where  he  might 
rear  around  him  a  society  remarkable  for  its  refinement 
in  civil  and  social  life.  That  each  of  these  stupendous 
enterprises  was  determined  on,  is  clearly  inferable  from 
the  evidence  afterward  adduced  against  him. 

With  a  mind  tortured  by  remorse  for  the  unfortunate 
duel  with  Hamilton,  sickened  by  disappointment  in  polit 
ical  preferment,  disgusted  with  the  more  pacific  measures 
of  Jefferson,  he  could  only  direct  his  thoughts  in  scenes* 
of  outward  conflict,  and  bury  the  disquietudes  which 
were  tearing  his  soul,  by  plunging  into  deeds  of  wonder 
ful  magnitude. 

Knowing  full  well  the  advantages  which  wealth  and 
influence  would  add  to  either  undertaking,  he  sought  first 
to  secure  the  co-operation  of  the  most  conspicuous  char 
acters  of  the  country.  Blennerhassett  was  a  shining 
treasure,  too  valuable  to  remain  unnoticed — a  gentleman 


THE    EMMETTS.  107 

of  opulence  and  ease,  possessing  a  mind  of  superior  scien 
tific  acquirements ;  and  who,  from  the  discontents  of  his 
own  country,  it  would  readily  be  presumed,  was  well 
acquainted  with  military  tactics  ;  such  a  personage  would 
indeed  prove  a  powerful  auxiliary  in  any  measure  he  had 
proposed  to  himself.  Burr,  accordingly,  landed  at  the 
island,  and,  in  company  with  a  Mr.  Shaw,  strolled  over 
this  far-famed  paradise.  The  family  were  absent  from 
home  on  a  visit  to  the  East.  Having  partaken  of  the 
hospitality  of  those  left  in  charge,  Burr  re-embarked  on 
board  of  his  boat,  and  proceeded  down  the  river  to  view 
the  country  and  hold  conferences  with  the  inhabitants  at 
various  points. 

General  Wilkinson,  who  commanded  the  western  forces, 
was,  at  that  time,  temporarily  at  Fort  Massac,  near 
the  mouth  of  the  Ohio.  As  a  previous  correspondence 
had  been  held  between  them,  which  had  brought  them 
into  intimate  relations,  'Burr  wished  to  ascertain  with 
what  confidence  he  could  rely  on  the  aid  of  that  officer 
and  his  men,  in  the  event  of  an  expedition  to  Mexico. 
The  result  of  that  interview  has  never  been  definitely 
ascertained ;  it  was  strongly  suspected,  however,  that 
Wilkinson  assured  him  of  his  support.  Here,  the  Ex- 
Vice-President  was  furnished  by  the  General  with  an^ 
elegant  barge,  sails,  colors,  and  ten  oars,  with  a  sergeant 
and  ten  able  hands  to  prosecute  his  journey. 

About  this  time,  Blennerhassett,  having  received  intel 
ligence  of  the  arrival  in  New  York  of  his  classmate  and 
friend,  the  celebrated  Thomas  Addis  Emmett,*  who  had 

*  There  were  three  Emmetts,  sons  of  Dr.  Emmett,  who  had  been  State- 
physician  at  Dublin,  and  was  an  extreme  liberal  in  his  political  opinions. 


108  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

been  compelled  to  flee  his  country  by  reason  of  serious  po 
litical  difficulties,  hastened  to  meet  him.  The  feelings  of 
the  exiles,  as  they  again  clasped  hands  on  the  western  bor 
ders  of  the*  Atlantic,  can  only  be  fully  appreciated  by  those 
who  have  experienced  similar  vicissitudes.  Here  he  found 
one  with  whom  he  could  freely  sympathize,  and  who,  in 
return,  could  as  freely  sympathize  with  him.  Often,  in 
early  life,  had  they  sported  together  over  the  same  green 
meadows,  and  participated  in  the  same  amusements.  And 
when,  at  a  more  advanced  age,  they  had  been  honorable 
competitors  for  academic  honors,  no  selfish  ambition  had 
served  to  loose  the  bonds  which  early  childhood  welded, 
although  the  contest  was  never  so  spirited,  or  the  prize 
was  never  so  dazzling.  Still  later  in  life,  they  had  deplored 
together  the  fate  of  their  country ;  had  witnessed  her  deep 
degradation,  and  sighed  over  the  hopeless  prospects  which 
were  shadowed  in  the  distant  future.  After  several 
weeks  spent  with  his  friend,  during  which  time  he  re 
newed  his  former  acquaintance  in  the  city,  he  returned  to 
his  family  on  the  island. 

But  a  short  time  previous,  a  young  man  by  the  name 
of  Harte,  the  son  of  an  acquaintance  in  Ireland,  having 


Temple,  the  eldest,  who  distinguished  himself  in  the  university  and  at  the 
'bar,  died  at  the  age  of  thirty.  Thomas  Addis,  born  in  1764,  also  became 
a  barrister,  got  involved  in  the  revolt  of  1798,  was  allowed  to  expatriate 
himself,  arrived  at  New  York  in  1804,  where  he  was  at  once  admitted  to 
practice  (by  special  dispensation,  although  opposed,  Phillips  says,  by 
Chancellor  Kent),  became  attorney-general  of  New  York  in  1812,  and  died 
in  1827,  greatly  respected  and  lamented.  Robert,  who  was  only  twenty- 
three  years  old,  joined  in  the  insurrection  of  1808;  was  tried,  condemned 
and  executed — lamented  even  by  multitudes  who  disliked  his  politics. 
Robert  Emmett's  defense,  as  it  is  called,  though  actually  spoken  after  his 
condemnation,  when  called  on  to  receive  judgment,  is  one  of  the  most 
touching  specimens  of  eloquence  ever  uttered. — Mackenzie. 


IMPOSED    UPON.  109 

applied  to  Blennerhassett  for  pecuniary  aid,  presented  a 
letter  of  introduction,  purporting  to  have  been  written 
by  his  father.  His  address  was  that  of  a  gentleman,  and 
the  respectability  of  his  family  connection  precluded  any 
doubt  as  to  the  truthfulness  of  his  representations.  Pre 
vious  to  his  departure  from  England,  he  said,  he  had 
taken  the  precaution  to  obtain  drafts  in  London,  on  a 
house  in  Boston,  for  the  sum  of  one  thousand  pounds ; 
that  on  his  arrival  in  the  United  States  he  found  the 
house  to  be  fictitious ;  that  as  this  was  his  sole  reliance 
he  had  been  left  entirely  destitute  of  funds.  He  thought 
that  he  should  not  be  chargeable  with  carelessness,  as  he 
had  previously  advised  with  Sir  Owen  Hunt,  who  had 
assured  him  that  the  gentleman  with  whom  he  dealt  was 
a  man  of  strict  integrity.  The  story  was  a  plausible  one, 
and  Blennerhassett,  desirous  of  performing  an  act  of 
charity  toward  the  young  gentleman,  furnished  him  with 
letters  of  credit  and  introduction  to  many  of  his  influ 
ential  acquaintances,  among  which  was  one  to  Colonel 
Burr,  and  another  to  the  Hon.  James  Brown,  a  brother- 
in-law  of  the  colonel.  From  the  various  sources  to 
whom  he  had  been  accredited,  Harte  obtained  large  sums 
of  money,  and  fled  to  Canada.  It  subsequently  appeared 
that  he  had  forged  the  letter  of  introduction  to  Blenner 
hassett,  and,  at  the  time  'of  his  appearance  at  the  island, 
was  an  exile  from  his  father's  house  for  similar  practices 
in  England.  On  being  advised  of  the  facts  by  Mr.  Brown, 
Blennerhassett  addressed  him  the  following  reply : 


110  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

WOOD  COURT-HOUSE,  VA., 

December  9th,  1805. 
JAMES  BROWN,  ESQ., 

DEAR  SIR  : — On  my  arrival  home  yesterday  evening,  I 
received  your  two  letters  of  the  13th  and  18th  August 
last,  which  have  laid  at  the  office  here,  I  know  not  how 
long.  By  them  I  fear  you  have  no  effects  of  Harte's  in 
your  possession,  as  you  do  not  mention  the  horses  I  un 
derstood,  hy  Mr.  Shaw,  he  left  with  you,  which,  with  the 
presumption  I  had  requested  you  to  indorse  his  drafts  to 
an  amount  not  exceeding  a  thousand  or  twelve  hundred 
dollars,  induced  me,  as  I  wrote  you  November  7th,  from 
ISTew  York,  to  risk  the  return  of  one  of  the  drafts  you 
indorsed  for  one  thousand  dollars.  But  your  letters  re 
ceived  here,  have  caused  me  the  utmost  concern,  lest  I 
should  not  be  in  time  by  to-morrow's  post  to  advise  Mr. 
Morton,  as  Mr.  Clay  has  suggested,  to  arrest  the  draft  be 
fore  its  return  upon  you,  though  I  am  persuaded  my 
proteg£  has  altered  my  figures,  which,  indeed,  would  make 
no  difference  to  your  disadvantage,  if  he  had  done  so  to 
the  last  dollar  I  am  worth .  Be  the  effect,  therefore,  what 
it  may  upon  my  property,  your  time  and  ingenuity  might 
have  been  better  spent  than  in  justifying  the  steps  you 
ha$  taken  to  accommodate  Mr.  Harte  upon  my  recom 
mendation. 

I  will  only  add,  I  shall  take  my  chance  of  whatever  in 
demnity  you  can  procure  for  me,  by  an  attachment  of  any 
property  within  your  reach.  That  Harte  still  is  the  son 
of  the  man  I  expected,  I  have  a  letter  from  his  father 
acknowledging,  but  declaratory  of  his  having  fully  dis- 


DESPONDENT.  Ill 

carded  him,  long  ago,  and  affording  me  no  prospect  of 
retribution. 

I  should  hope  the  pleasing  intelligence  I  have  fre 
quently  had  of  Mr.  John  Clay's  present  good  circum 
stances,  may  permit  me  to  anticipate  he  will  settle  with 
me  for  the  sale  he  made  of  a  negro  woman  of  mine,  in 
Kentucky,  through  you. 

The  hints  you  have  given  of  the  predilection  you  en 
tertain  for  your  last  chosen  meridian,  have  kindled  in 
our  minds  a  fire  of  enthusiastic  curiosity,  which  our  pres 
ent  embarrassments  will  constantly  fan,  until  your  details 
shall  extinguish  it  with  a  faithful  muster  of  the  fogs  and 
musquitoes  of  the  Mississippi. 

But  in  sober  sadness,  I  wish  to  learn  with  what  capital, 
or  in  what  speculation  or  profession,  I  could  enjoy  your 
neighborhood,  when  I  can  bid  adieu  to  the  spot  on 
which  I  have  so  long  hoped  I  should  rest  my  bones  for 
ever.  I  am  inclined  to  hope  my  highly-valued  friend, 
Woodbridge,*  would  accompany  me,  if  he  could  see  any 
mercantile  prospects  more  inviting  than  this  country 
affords.  I  have  no  doubt  your  friendship  will  find  a  mo 
ment  of  repose  in  your  present  cares  of  fame  and  fortune, 
in  which  I  highly  rejoice,  to  gratify  mv  expectation  in 
this  respect. 

Since  I  find  you  give  us  such  just  credit  for  the  senti 
ments  with  which  Mrs.  Brown  and  yourself  have  inspired 
us,  I  will  offer  no  repetition  of  them — only  a  more  possi 
ble  prospect  of  personally  testifying  them,  you  may  be 
sure,  makes  them  more  vivid,  even  in  the  abandonment 

*  The  mercantile  partner  of  Blennerhassett. 


112  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

of  books  and  science,  to  which,  I  fear,  the  state  of  my 
affairs  will  henceforth,  I  know  not  how  long,  condemn  me. 
Farewell !  dear  Brown,  and  believe  me  always  to  be 
Your  attached  friend, 

H.  BLENNERHASSETT. 

On  the  15th  of  December,  1805,  he  dispatched  the  fol 
lowing  letter  to  General  Devereux :  * 

MY  DEAR  DEVEREUX: 

Sensible  for  your  kind  concern  for  us,  I  use  the  first 
opportunity  since  our  return  home  to  acquaint  you,  that 
we  effected  our  journey  with  safety,  and  had  the  blessing 
to  find  our  dear  boy  recovered,  so  that  nothing  threatens 
henceforward  to  interfere  with  our  enjoyment  of  your 
company  when  we  can  obtain  it,  but  unavoidable  atten 
tion  to  some  embarrassments  my  circumstances  have 
lately  undergone ;  the  effect  of  which  more  and  more  dis 
poses  me  to  endeavor  to  change  my  situation,  by  selling 
or  letting  this  place  to  effect  a  removal  to  another,  where 
I  could  embark  in  mercantile  pursuits,  or  the  resumption 
of  my  old  profession. 

Now,  not  wishing  to  advertise  the  place,  I  know  no 

*  General  Devereux  was  a  descendant  of  one  of  the  most  ancient  and 
noted  families  of  Ireland.  One  of  his  ancestry  drew  his  sword  upon 
Queen  Elizabeth,  when  she  slapped  him  in  the  face  for  his  impertinence, 
and  insisted  that  if  she  were  a  man  he  would  dispatch  her  for  the  indig 
nity.  He  finally  became  reconciled,  but  was  subsequently  beheaded  for 
treason.  The  General  was  one  of  the  leaders  of  the  United  Irishmen  in 
the  Rebellion  of  '96  and  1803,  and  subsequently  made  his  escape  to  the 
United  States.  He  afterward  joined  Bolivar  in  the  Columbian  Revolution, 
where  he  greatly  distinguished  himself  by  his  bravery  and  military  skill. 
On  the  emancipation  of  the  South  American  Republics,  he  was  made  Min 
ister  to  Russia,  and,  I  believe,  afterward  to  the  United  States. 


FOR   SALE.  113 

better  means  of  disposing  of  it  than  through  the  industry 
of  your  friendship.  I,  therefore,  request  your  attention 
to  my  views,  and  the  following  description  of  my  situa 
tion,  to  enahle  you  to  procure  such  a  purchaser  or  tenant 
as  would  suit  me,  and  effect  our  common  happiness  by  a 
residence  in  the  same  place.  Respecting  the  farm,  which, 
through  want  of  skill  and  capital,  I  am  unable  to  make 
the  best  advantage  of,  you  may,  with  the  utmost  truth 
and  honor,  represent  it  as  containing  about  two  hundred 
acres  of  the  richest  land  in  the  world,  which,  rented  out 
to  the  poorest  of  tenants,  can,  at  any  time,  command  a 
rent  of  five  dollars  per  acre,  payable  in  corn  at  the  market 
price  in  this  country ;  but  would  prove  more  lucrative  in 
the  hands  of  a  capitalist,  with  forty  or  fifty  negroes,  who 
would  engage  in  raising  hemp  or  tobacco.  These  pro 
ducts  better  afford  a  rent  of  twenty-five  hundred  dollars 
a  year  than  one  thousand  in  the  other  way.  Such  a  rent 
I  should  expect  of  such  a  tenant  as  I  could  let  the  whole  to, 
namely,  a  gentleman  of  fortune,  disposed  to  reside  in  this 
country,  who  would  find  an  elegant  seat  with  (a  desirable) 
convenient  improvements ;  no  want  of  which  would  dis 
turb  his  care  or  withdraw  his  attention  for  the  ease  and 
profit  with  which  he  might  reside  here,  whence  he  might 
send  his  tobacco,  cordage,  cotton  or  flour,  to  i^ew  Orleans, 
at  the  rate  of  one  dollar  and  a  quarter  per  barrel,  where 
the  market  will  always  afford  him  a  medium  price,  twelve 
or  fifteen  per  cent,  higher  than  the  farmer  dependent  on 
the  Atlantic  towns  can  have,  without  taking  into  consid 
eration  the  excess  of  western  produce. 

If  a  purchase  should  be  preferred,  I  could  not  in  justice 
to  my  family  sell  at  less  than  twenty-five  years'  credit,  on 


114  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

the  above  twenty-five  hundred  dollars,  which  would  be 
then  sinking  a  serious  part  of  the  money  I  have  expended 
on  this  place,  which  may  be  easily  conceived  when  it  is 
understood  the  house  and  offices  I  occupy,  stand  me  in 
upward  of  thirty  thousand  dollars,  not  to  mention  gardens 
and  shrubbery,  in  the  English  style — hedges,  post-fences, 
and  complete  farm-yards,  containing  barns,  stables,  over 
seers'  and  negroes'  houses,  etc.,  etc. ;  though,  for  the  sake 
of  removing  from  a  place  which  does  not  now  so  well 
suit  myself,  I  would  sacrifice  somewhat  of  the  money  I 
have  expended. 

Any  one  disposed  to  treat  for  the  place  will  be  apprised 
beforehand,  by  all  who  have  seen  it,  from  the  most  unob- 
serving  passenger,  to  Mr.  Harris,  of  its  good  order, 
richness  and  elegant  situation,  opposite  the  handsome 
settlement  of  Belpre*,  fourteen  miles  below  Marietta,  and 
within  view  of  Wood  Court-House  in  Virginia,  in  the 
midst  of  a  country,  where  the  lumber  and  provision  trade, 
with  ship-building,  has  commenced,  and  will  be  established 
above  and  below  it,  from  Pittsburgh  to  the  falls  of  the 
Ohio. 

I  would  only  direct  a  purchaser's  attention  to  this 
sketch,  which  he  can  easily  verify,  and  the  rent  required 
for  such  an  establishment  can  not  be  considered  high, 
when  compared  with  what  is  so  unaccountably  obtained 
for  a  single  house  in  Baltimore.  If  the  style  and  extent 
of  the  house  should  be  demanded,  it  may  be  stated  as 
highly  and  completely  finished,  containing,  with  the 
wings  connected  to  it  by  circular  corridors,  thirty-six 
windows,  glazed  with  lights  12  by  18  inches. 

You  will  not  forget  to  have  General  Macon,  who  lives 


RESPONSIBILITIES.  115 

on  an  island  near  Georgetown,  and  I  hear,  like  myself, 
prefers  an  insular  situation,  informed  how  commodiously 
he  might  accommodate  his  family,  if  I  have  truly  heard, 
he  desires  to  move  to  the  western  country,  in  which  case 
I  could  take  landed  property  of  his  below,  at  a  valuation, 
in  exchange,  if  he  would  give  me  my  price. 

II.  BLENNERHASSETT. 

Among  other  letters  which  he  mentions  as  having  ac 
cumulated  during  his  absence  at  the  East,  was  his  first 
communication  from  Colonel  Burr,  regretting  that  the 
absence  of  Blennerhassett  from  home  had  deprived  him 
of  the  pleasure  of  improving  his  personal  acquaintance, 
when  visiting  his  island  residence.  In  an  insinuating  but- 
guarded  manner,  he  alluded  to  the  talents  of  Blenner 
hassett,  as  deserving  of  a  higher  sphere  than  that  in 
which  they  were  employed.  He  was  surrounded,  to  be 
sure,  with  all  the  comforts  of  life,  but  those  very  comforts 
only  served  to  effeminate  the  mind,  for  want  of  active 
engagements.  His  pleasures  were  merely  passive,  and 
were  better  suited  to  the  negative  enjoyment  of  the  rude 
and  unconscious  herd,  than  to  those  delightful  sensations 
experienced  by  the  intelligent  mind  when  in  the  active 
exercise  of  all  its  ennobling  powers.  There  were  other 
considerations,  too,  which  should  induce  him  to  feel  that 
physical  effort  was  necessary.  He  was  surrounded  by  a 
growing  family,  who  demanded  of  him  superior  advan 
tages  over  those  to  be  obtained  in  his  new  and  unpolished 
neighborhood.  His  fortune  was  gradually  diminishing, 
while  no  effort  was  made  to  add  to  his  present  estate. 
The  inevitable  consequence  therefore  must  be  the  impov- 


116  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

erishment  of  his  children  by  his  listless  attention  to  all 
financial  affairs.  Suggesting  several  plans  by  which 
Blennerhassett  might  enhance  his  fortune,  and  render 
himself  a  more  important  individual  in  society,  he  left 
him  to  meditate  on  the  truthfulness  of  the  picture  so 
dexterously  set  before  him. 

Such  apparently  disinterested  counsel,  from  one  whose 
judgment  and  experience  he  respected,  caused  Blenner 
hassett  to  turn  his  attention,  more  particularly  than  he 
had  hitherto  done,  toward  himself  and  his  own  affairs. 
The  result  was  all  that  Burr  could  have  desired.  It 
called  forth  the  suggestions  with  reference  to  his  removal, 
in  his  letter  to  Brown,  and  gave  rise  to  the  following  cor 
respondence  : 

December  21st,  1805. 
AARON  BURR,  ESQ., 

SIR  : — The  receipt  of  your  letter,  by  post,  has  been  de 
layed  until  my  return  home  from  Baltimore.  While  it 
enables  me  to  return  my  acknowledgments  for  the  honor 
of  your  kind  remembrance,  it  affords  the  opportunity  of 
expressing  my  extreme  regret  that  we  were  absent  at  the 
time  of  your  intended  visit.  This  disappointment  can 
not  be  removed  but  by  another  of  like  condescension, 
which  may,  in  some  measure,  compensate  us  for  the  past. 

The  mention,  sir,  you  have  made  of  the  attention  you 
were  pleased  to  give  to  young  Mr.  Harte,  on  my  recom 
mendation,  would  alone  make  it  my  duty  to  apologize  for 
having  obtruded  upon  your  notice  a  man  whose  acts,  as  I 
have  heard  since  he  left  this,  have  qualified  him  for  no 
better  situation  than  that  of  a  jail.  But  my  belief  that 
he  was  really  the  son  of  the  gentleman  in  Europe  I  took 


CALCULATIONS.  117 

him  for,  which  turns  out  to  be  correct,  though  he  is  dis 
carded  by  his  father,  and  the  confidence  and  credit  ob 
tained  from  me,  through  a  letter  from  his  father,  which  I 
supposed  authentic,  by  which  I  have  lost  four  thousand 
dollars :  these  circumstances,  sir,  your  liberality  will 
regard  as  some  ground  of  excuse  for  the  liberty  I  had 
taken  with  you.  I  am  now  about  to  venture  another,  on 
my  own  account,  to  which  I  presume  to  request  an 
answer  at  your  first  convenient  leisure. 

Estimating  the  value  of  your  reflections  on  the  view 
you  have  taken  of  the  western  country,  and  particularly 
of  Louisiana,  I  have  thought  it  of  great  importance  to 
obtain  your  sentiments  to  confirm  or  correct  the  irresist 
ible  attraction  my  friend,  Mr.  James  Brown,  assures  me  I 
should  follow,  to  settle  in  his  vicinity,  if  I  would  but 
visit  that  country.  His  words  are,  my  "  removal  would 
be  inevitable  " — an  expression,  truly,  strong  enough,  when 
viewed  through  my  regard  for  his  friendship,  and  my 
confidence  in  his  judgment,  to  endanger  my  repose  on 
this  island,  where  for  eight  years  I  have  dreamed  and 
hoped  I  should  rest  my  bones  forever. 

But  the  interests  of  a  growing  family,  I  feel,  will  sum 
mon  me  again  into  active  life,  to  the  resumption  of  my 
former  profession  of  the  bar,  mercantile  or  other  enter 
prise,  if  I  should  find  an  opportunity  of  selling  or  letting 
my  establishment  here  to  a  gentleman  who  could,  with 
out  a  sacrifice,  give  me  a  price  by  which  I  should  not  lose 
too  much  of  the  money  it  stands  me  in,  say  $50,000 ;  or 
afford  me  a  rent  of  $2,500,  which,  by  proper  manage 
ment,  it  might  be  made  to  realize  without  paying,  at  the 
highest  rate,  half  the  yearly  value  of  the  extensive  and 


118  THE  BLENNERHASSBTT  PAPERS. 

numerous  conveniences  on  the  place,  with  a  detail  of 
which  I  forbear  to  trouble  you,  observing,  merely,  that 
there  is  now  in  good  order,  say  two  hundred  acres,  which, 
with  twenty  well-managed  hands,  employed  in  raising 
hemp,  would  afford  a  handsome  profit.  In  either  way, 
if  I  could  sell  or  leave  the  place,  I  would  move  forward 
with  a  firmer  confidence  in  any  undertaking  which  your 
sagacity  might  open  to  profit  and  fame. 

Having  thus  advised  you  of  my  desire  and  motives  to 
pursue  a  change  of  life,  to  engage  in  any  thing  which 
may  suit  my  circumstances,  I  hope,  sir,  you  will  not 
regard  it  indelicate  in  me  to  observe  to  you  how  highly  I 
should  be  honored  in  being  associated  with  you,  in  any 
contemplated  enterprise  you  would  permit  me  to  partici 
pate  in.  The  amount  of  means  I  could  at  first  come 
forward  with  would  be  small.  You  might  command  my 
services  as  a  lawyer,  or  in  any  other  way  you  should  sug 
gest  as  being  most  useful.  I  could,  I  have  no  doubt,  unite 
the  talents  and  energy  of  two  of  my  particular  friends, 
who  would  share  in  any  fortune  which  might  follow 
you.  The  gentlemen  alluded  to  are  Mr.  Dudley  Wood- 
bridge,  junior,  of  Marietta,  and  Mr.  Devereux,  of  Balti 
more,  a  ci  de-vant  general  in  the  Irish  rebel  army.* 

Not  presuming  to  know  or  guess  at  th  e  intercourse,  if 
any,  subsisting  between  you  and  the  present  Government, 
but  viewing  the  probability  of  a  rupture  with  Spain,  the 
claim  for  action  the  country  will  make  upon  your  talents, 
in  the  event  of  an  engagement  against,  or  subjugation 
of,  any  of  the  Spanish  Territories,  I  am  disposed  in  the 

*  Neither  of  whom,  it  is  proper  to  remark,  could  be  preyailed  upon  to 
enlist  in  the  undertaking. 


LETTER   PROM   BURR.  119 

confidential  spirit  of  this  letter  to  offer  you  my  friends, 
and  my  own  services  to  co-operate  in  any  contemplated 
measures  in  which  you  may  embark. 

In  making  this  proposition,  I  hope,  Mr,  you  will  feel 
that  it  flows  in  a  conviction  of  your  judgment  and  talents, 
from  a  quarter  that  ever  did  and  always  will  prefer  to 
seek  fortune  and  fame  through  the  call,  rather  than  the 
coercion,  of  any  government. 

A  further  development  of  iny  views  would  at  present 
aggravate  the  trespass  on  your  time  hy  this  letter,  too 
much  prolonged,  and  would  besides,  I  hope,  be  a  guaran 
tee  of  the  perfect  confidence  you  may  repose  in  my 
integrity  in  any  communication  you  may  be  pleased  to 
honor  me  with. 

I  shall  await  with  much  anxiety  the  receipt  of  your 
reply,  and  with  warm  interest  in  your  success  and  pros 
perity, 

I  remain,  dear  sir,  your  obliged  and  obedient  servant, 

H.  BLENNERHASSETT. 


Burr  to  Blennerhassett. 

WASHINGTON  CITY,  April  15£A,  1806. 
DEAR  SIR  : — Your  very  interesting  letter  of  the  21st  of 
December,  arrived  here  just  after  I  had  passed  through 
this  city  on  my  way  to  South  Carolina,  and  was  not 
received  until  about  two  months  after  its  date  :  the  sub 
ject  of  it  has  since  that  time  been  daily  in  my  mind. 
Independently  of  considerations  personal  to  myself,  I 
learn  with  the  utmost  pleasure  that  you  are  to  be  restored 
to  the  social  and  the  active  world.  Your  talents  and 


120  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

acquirements  seem  to  have  destined  you  for  something 
more  than  vegetable  life,  and  since  the  first  hour  of  our 
acquaintance,  I  have  considered  your  seclusion  as  a  fraud 
on  society. 

The  confidence  you  have  been  pleased  to  place  in  me  is 
extremely  flattering,  and  it  would  seem  that  there  has 
been,  without  explanation,  a  sort  of  consent  between  our 
minds.  In  a  matter  of  so  much  moment,  and  on  which  I 
am  so  imperfectly  informed,  it  would  be  hazarding  too 
much  to  offer  advice ;  yet  it  is  due  to  the  frankness  of 
your  letter,  to  acknowledge  that  I  had  projected,  and  still 
meditate,  a  speculation,  precisely  of  the  character  you 
have  described.  It  would  have  been  submitted  to  your 
consideration  in  October  last,  if  I  had  then  the  good  for 
tune  to  find  you  at  home.  The  business,  however, 
depends,  in  some  degree,  on  contingencies,  not  within 
my  control,  and  will  not  be  commenced  before  December 
or  January,  if  ever.  From  this  circumstance,  and  as  the 
matter,  in  its  present  state,  can  not  be  satisfactorily  ex 
plained  by  letter,  the  communication  will  be  deferred 
until  a  personal  interview  can  be  had.  With  this  view  I 
pray  to  be  informed  of  your  intended  movements  the 
ensuing  season,  and  in  case  you  should  visit  Orleans,  at 
what  time,  and  at  what  port  you  may  be  expected  on  the 
Atlantic  coast.  But  I  must  insist  that  these  intimations 
be  not  permitted  to  interrupt  the  prosecution  of  any 
plans  which  you  have  formed  for  yourself — no  occupation 
which  shall  not  take  you  off  the  continent  can  interfere 
with  that  which  I  may  propose.  You  would  certainly 
be  pleased,  probably  charmed,  with  the  manners  and  the 
society  of  Orleans.  As  a  place  of  business,  too,  it  offers 


ANOTHER   LETTER.  121 

great  advantages ;  most  of  those  who  style  themselves 
lawyers,  are  become  visionary  speculators,  or  political 
fanatics.  Mr.  Brown,  by  avoiding  these  follies,  has  in 
spired  confidence,  and  is  growing  rich.  The  country  is 
deficient  in  the  means  of  education,  and  the  climate  is 
thought,  I  believe  with  reason,  unfriendly  to  children. 

"We  shall  have  no  war  unless  we  should  be  actually  in 
vaded.  Some  estimate  of  the  views  and  temper  of  our 
Government  may  be  formed  from  the  proceedings  of  the 
House  of  Representatives,  with  closed  doors.  A  copy  of 
that  part  of  their  journal  is  sent  for  your  amusement. 

Accept,  dear  sir,  assurances  of  the  great  consideration 
and  respect  with  which  I  am, 

Yours  obediently,  A.  BURR. 

H.  BLENNERHASSETT,  ESQ. 


Burr  to  Blennerhassett. 

BALTIMORE,  May  17£A,  1806. 

DEAR  SIR  : — About  the  15th  of  April,  I  wrote  you  from 
"Washington,  in  answer  to  your  letter  of  December, 
apol&gizing,  at  the  same  time,  for  the  lapse  of  so  great 
a  period  between  the  date  of  your  letter  and  that 
of  my  reply.  For  God's  sake,  therefore,  do  n't  retaliate 
on  me  in  this  particular.  My  movements  for  the  sum 
mer,  as  far  as  can  now  be  ascertained,  will  be  to  return  to 
Philadelphia  to-morrow,  to  pass  one  month  (something 
less)  in  that  vicinity ;  thence  to  Bedford,  in  the  mount 
ains  of  Pennsylvania,  where  I  may  remain  several  weeks, 
taking  excursions  to  Pittsburgh,  Union  Town,  etc.  The 
mountain  part  of  my  project  is  for  the  health  of  my 


122  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

daughter,*  who  has  just  come  on  from  South  Carolina,  to 
pass  the  season  with  me.  I  would  take  her  on  to  your 
house,  if  it  were  not  for  the  extreme  inconvenience  of 
re-ascending,  especially  with  the  incumbrance  of  a  three- 
year-old  child.  With  entire  respect, 

Your  friend  and  obedient  servant, 

A.  BURR. 

Address  me  at  "Washington  city.  If  the  "  city "  be 
omitted,  your  letter  may  go  to  forty  Washingtons  with 
out  meeting  that  which  is  intended.  In  case  of  a  direct 
opportunity  to  Philadelphia,  you  may  address  me  there, 
to  be  left  in  the  "Post-office"  The  former,  however,  is 
the  safer  mode.  A.  BURR. 

H.  BLENNERHASSETT,  ESQ. 


Burr  to  Blennerhassett. 

PHILADELPHIA,  July  24th,  1806. 

DEAR  SIR  : — Owing  to  an  absence  of  unexpected  dura 
tion  from  this  city,  your  letter  of  the  23d  of  May  was  not 
received  until  a  few  days  ago.  My  daughter  has  gone 
on  to  Bedford.  My  engagements  in  this  city  not  permit 
ting  me  to  attend  her,  I  shall  follow  in  a  few  days,  and 
be  at  your  house  before  the  20th  of  August.  Let  me 
find  you  at  home,  or  not  far  off.  ,1  propose  to  pass  two 
or  three  days  with  you.  My  daughter  was  charmed  with 
your  hospitable  and  friendly  overture,  and  wished  much 
to  avail  herself  of  it.  This,  however,  will  not  be  in  her 

*  Mrs.  Alston,  wife  of  Col.  Jos.  Alston,  Governor  of  South  Carolina. 


BURR'S  LETTER.  123 

power  till  October,  the  period  of  my  return  from  Ken 
tucky,  when  it  is  probable  she  may. 

I  omit,  till  a  personal  interview,  a  further  answer  to 
your  obliging  letter. 

Two  young  gentlemen  of  respectable  connections  and 
character,  are  on  their  way  down  the  river,  Mr.  S. 
Swartwout,*  of  New  York,  and  Mr.  S.  Ogden,  of  New 
Jersey.  I  have  desired  that  they  would  stop  at  your 
door,  hand  you  this,  and  wait  long  enough  to  answer  any 
inquiries  you  might  please  to  make  about  Cis-Montane 
men  or  things.  I  pray  that  they  may  experience  your 
wonted  courtesy 

Very  respectfully,  your  friend  and  faithful  servant, 

A.  BURR. 

Burr  to  Blennerhassett. 

BEDFORD,  August  15£A,  1806. 

You  perceive,  my  dear  sir,  that  I  have  made  a  little 
progress.  I  shall  leave  this  to-morrow,  but  a  detention 
of  two  or  three  days  at  Pittsburgh  will  not  allow  me  the 
hope  of  seeing  you  at  Belpr6  before  the  23d  or  24th. 

I  leave  here  my  daughter  and  her  son,  who  have  both 
greatly  profited  by  the  use  of  the  waters,  or,  what  is  per 
haps  more  probable,  by  the  mountain  air.  She  desired 
much  to  accompany  me  to  your  house,  but  we  have  com 
promised  by  my  consenting  that  she  shall  meet  me  at 
Belpre  on  the  1st  of  October. 

With  great  respect,  yours,  A.  BURR. 

H.  BLENNERHASSETT. 

,          *  Samuel  Swartwout,  afterward  collector  of  New  York. 


124  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

Some  time  in  the  month  of  August,  1806,  Col.  Burr, 
in  company  with  Col.  De  Pestre*  and  Dudley  Wood- 
ridge,  Junior,  arrived  at  the  island.  At  this  time,  as  we 
are  informed,  Burr,  with  considerable  reserve,  partially 
revealed  the  objects  and  plan  of  the  contemplated  enter 
prise.  From  information  received  from  reliable  sources, 
he  was  induced  to  believe  that  the  sentiments  of  a  re 
spectable  majofity  of  the  people  of  Orleans  and  Missis 
sippi  Territories  were  disaffected  to  the  Government; 
that  such  was  the  dissatisfaction  of  the  people,  unless 
early  measures  were  adopted  to  prevent  it,  they  would 
fling  themselves  into  the  arms  of  any  foreign  power 
which  should  pledge  itself  to  protect  them.  In  such  an 
event,  the  Western  States  would  be  placed  in  a  dilemma, 
out  of  which  they  could  only  escape  by  an  eastern  or 
western  ascendancy  of  interests ;  that  after  an  examina 
tion  of  the  subject,  so  clearly  satisfied  would  they  become 
that  their  connection  with  the  Atlantic  States  was  inimi 
cal  to  western  interests,  they  would  no  longer  consent  to 
the  alliance,  but  would  sever  themselves  from  the  Union. 
So  far  as  he  was  personally  concerned,  he  had  no  further 
interest  in  the  event  than  of  a  speculative  character.  The 
people,  however,  should  be  advised,  lest  they  should  be 
unexpectedly  involved  in  a  crisis  for  which  they  were 
unprepared. 

The  separation  of  the  Western  from  the  Atlantic 
States,  he  assured  them,  was  no  new  project.  It  was  a 
subject  of  daily  discussion  at  the  seat  of  Government, 

*  Burr's  confidential  agent  or  minister,  who  had  been  sent  on  a  mission 
to  Europe,  and  was  then  in  negotiation  with  the  representative  of  the 
Spanish  Court. 


CONSULTATION.  125 

and  by  some  of  the  heads  of  department;  that  it 
was  seriously  apprehended  the  mal-administration  of 
the  Government  might  precipitate  the  event  much  sooner 
than  it  was  desired  or  expected.  So  thoroughly  disgusted 
were  the  people  of  ~New  Orleans  with  the  conduct  of  the 
administration,  both  with  reference  to  themselves,  and  as 
to  Spanish  American  affairs,  that  he  expected  to  hear  of 
their  beginning  a  revolt  by  seizing  on  the  bank  and  cus 
tom-house  and  appropriating  to  themselves  the  revenues 
and  forces  of  the  Territory.  Even  then,  he  declared, 
there  was  a  society  of  young  men  in  New  Orleans, 
denominated  "  The  Mexican  Society,"  who  had  seized 
and  shipped  a  number  of  cannons  belonging  to  the 
French,  for  a  Mexican  invasion,  and  that  while  there, 
but  a  short  time  previous,  he  himself  had  been  solicited 
to  become  their  leader. 

With  the  questions  of  a  war  with  Spain,  and  the 
separation  of  the  Western  from  the  Atlantic  States, 
Burr  declared  he  had  no  concern;  but,  in  any  event, 
neither  would  interrupt  his  enterprise ;  nor  would  they 
be  adverse  to  his  own  views,  let  them  precede  or  follow 
his  own  undertaking. 

He  assured  Blennerhassett  that  he  was  advised  as  to 
the  views  of  the  Administration ;  that  the  expulsion  of 
the  Spaniards  from  the  American  Territory  then  vio 
lated  by  them,  or  even  an  invasion  of  Mexico,  would  be 
pleasing  to  Mr.  Jefferson,  if  either  could  be  effected  with 
out  a  declaration  of  war  against  Spain,  which  was  now 
prevented  by  parsimony  on  the  one  hand,  and  dread  of 
France  on  the  other. 

As  this  interview    and  its   results,  somewhat   figura- 


126  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

lively  drawn  by  Mr.  Wirt,  on  the  trial  at  Richmond, 
have  invested  the  name  of  Blennerhassett  with  greater 
interest  than,  perhaps,  it  would  have  otherwise  attained, 
it  is  here  inserted: 

"  A  shrubbery,  which  Shenstone  might  have  envied, 
blooms  around  him ;  music  that  might  have  charmed 
Calypso  and  her  nymphs,  is  his;  an  extensive  library 
spreads  its  treasures  before  him ;  a  philosophical  appara 
tus  offers  to  him  all  the  mysteries  and  secrets  of  nature ; 
peace,  tranquillity  and  innocence  shed  their  mingled  de 
lights  around  him ;  and,  to  crown  the  enchantment  of 
the  scene,  a  wife  who  is  said  to  be  lovely,  even  beyond 
her  sex,  and  graced  with  every  accomplishment  that  can 
render  it  irresistible,  has  blessed  him  with  her  love,  and 
made  him  the  father  of  her  children.  The  evidence  would 
convince  you,  that  this  is  only  a  faint  picture  of  real  life. 
In  the  midst  of  all  this  peace,  this  innocence,  this  tran 
quillity,  this  feast  of  mind,  this  pure  banquet  of  the 
heart,  the  destroyer  comes  :  he  comes  to  turn  his  paradise 
into  a  hell ;  yet  the  flowers  do  not  wither  at  his  approach, 
and  no  monitory  shuddering,  through  the  bosom  of  their 
unfortunate  possessor,  warns  him  of  the  ruin  that  is  com 
ing  upon  him.  A  stranger  presents  himself.  Introduced 
to  their  civilities  by  the  high  rank  he  had  lately  held  in 
his  country,  he  soon  finds  way  to  their  hearts  by  the  dig 
nity  and  elegance  of  his  demeanor,  the  light  and  beauty 
of  his  conversation,  and  the  seductive  and  fascinating 
power  of  his  address.  The  conquest  was  not  a  difficult 
one.  Innocence  is  ever  simple  and  credulous ;  conscious 
of  no  designs  itself,  it  expects  none  in  others  ;  every  door 
and  portal  of  the  heart  are  thrown  open,  and  all  who 


RECRUITING.  127 

choose  it,  enter.  Such  was  the  state  of  Eden  when  the 
serpent  entered  its  Dowers.  The  prisoner"  (Burr),  "in  a 
more  engaging  form,  winding  himself  into  the  open  and 
unpractised  heart  of  Blennerhassett,  found  but  little  diffi 
culty  in  changing  the  native  character  of  that  heart,  and 
the  objects  of  its  affections.  By  degrees,  he  infuses  into 
it  the  poison  of  his  own  ambition ;  he  breathes  into  it 
the  fire  of  his  own  courage  ;  a  daring  and  desperate  thirst 
for  glory ;  an  ardor  panting  for  all  the  storms  and  bustle 
and  hurricane  of  life.  In  a  short  time,  the  whole  man  is 
changed  ;•  and  every  object  of  his  former  delights  relin 
quished.  No  more  he  enjoys  the  tranquil  scene ;  it  has 
become  flat  and  insipid  to  his  taste.  His  books  are  aban 
doned  ;  his  retort  and  crucible  thrown  aside ;  his  shrub 
bery  blooms  and  breathes  its  fragrance  upon  the  air  'in 
vain,  he  likes  it  not ;  his  ear  no  longer  drinks  the  melody 
of  music,  it  longs  for  the  trumpet's  clangor  and  the  can 
non's  roar.  Even  the  prattle  of  his  babes,  once  so  sweet, 
no  longer  affects  him,  and  the  angel-smile  of  his  wife, 
who  hitherto  touched  his  bosom  with  ecstasy  so  unspeak 
able,  is  now  unfelt  for  and  unseen.  Greater  objects  have 
taken  possession  of  his  soul ;  his  imagination  has  been 
dazzled  by  visions  of  diadems,  and  stars,  and  garters,  and 
titles  of  nobility ;  he  has  been  taught  to  burn,  with  rest 
less  emulation,  at  the  names  of  Cromwell,  Caesar,  and 
Bonaparte,"  etc. 

Leaving  his  daughter  with  Mrs.  Blennerhassett,  Burr 
proceeded  immediately  to  recruiting  men  for  the  expe 
dition.  His  mind  wras  now  fully  determined  on  the  en 
terprise.  Every  thing  appeared  favorable  ;  and  what  was 
to  prevent  the  realization  of  his  dreams? 


128  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

"Far  away  to  the  south-west,  a  thousand  miles  beyond 
the  Mississippi,  lay  a  vast  and  wealthy  empire,  governed 
by  tyrants  whom  the  people  hated,  and  defended  by 
troops  whom  soldiers  should  despise.  For  years,  the 
riches  of  that  kingdom  were  the  theme  of  travelers.  Her 
mines  were  inexhaustible,  and  had  flooded  Europe  with 
gold.  Her  nobles  enjoyed  the  revenues  of  emperors ;  her 
capitol  was  said  to  be  blazoned  with  jewels.  It  was 
known  to  look  down  on  the  lake,  into  whose  waters  the 
unhappy  Guatemozin  had  cast  the  treasures  of  that  long 
line  of  native  princes,  of  which  he  was  the  last.  Men 
dreamed  of  that  magnificent  city  as  Aladdin  dreamed  of 
his  palaces,  or  Columbus  of  Cathay.  Costly  statues; 
vessels  of  gold  and  silver;  jewels  of  untold  value  ;  troops 
of  the  fairest  Indian  girls  for  slaves ;  all  that  the  eye  de 
lighted  in,  or  the  heart  of  man  could  desire,  it  was  cur 
rently  declared,  would  form  the  plunder  of  Mexico.  A 
bold  adventurer,  commanding  an  army  of  Anglo-Saxon 
soldiers,  could  possess  himself  of  the  empire.  The  times 
were  favorable  to  the  enterprise.  The  priesthood  through 
out  Mexico  was  disaffected,  and  would  gladly  lend  its  aid 
to  any  conqueror  who  secured  its  privileges ;  and  the 
priesthood  then,  as  now,  exercised  a  paramount  influence 
over  the  weak  and  superstitious  Mexicans.  America,  too, 
was  thought  to  be  on  the  eve  of  a  Spanish  war,  when  the 
contemplated  expedition  might  easily  be  fitted  out  at 
New  Orleans.  Burr  saw, the  glittering  prize,  and  resolved 
to  seize  it.  He  would  conquer  this  gorgeous  realm,  and 
realize,  in  this  new  world,  as  Napoleon  did  in  the  old,  a 
dream  of  romance. 

"  He  would  surround  his  throne  with  dukes  and  mar- 


ENTHUSIASM.  129 

shals,  and  princes  of  the  empire.  The  pomp  of  chivalry, 
the  splendors  of  the  East,  should  be  revived  in  this  court. 
Realms  equally  rich,  and  even  more  easy  of  spoil,  opened 
to  the  South,  to  whose  conquest  his  successors,  if  not 
himself,  might  aspire.  Perhaps  nothing1  would  check  his 
victorious  banner  until  he  had  traversed  the  contiirent, 
and  stood  on  that  bold  and  stormy  promontory,  where 
the  contending  waters  of  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  lash 
around  Cape  Horn." 

With  that  eloquence  of  expression  and  power  of  im 
agination  which  were  peculiarly  his,  he  infused  into  the 
minds  of  his  auditors  a  thirst,  like  his  own,  for  the  bril 
liant  scenes  of  Mexico.  At  Marietta  he  had  an  opportu 
nity  of  meeting  with  the  militia,  who  were  assembled  for 
the  purpose  of  an  annual  training.  Being  called  upon 
for  that  purpose,  he  exercised  the  regiment  .in  a  few  evo 
lutions,  by  which  he  demonstrated  to  the  doubting  his 
superior  knowledge  of  military  tactics,  and  capability  for 
commanding.  A  ball  succeeded  the  training,  in  the  even 
ing.  The  congregated  beauty  of  the  surrounding  neigh 
borhood  greeted  him.  with  their  smiles ;  while  the  men 
of  rougher  mould  gave  encouragement  to  his  enterprise. 
Offers  of  distinction  and  rank,  and  the  dazzling  dreams 
of  wealth,  were  arguments  irresistible  to  the  young  and 
adventurous  ;  and  Burr  soon  found  himself  surrounded 
by  men  impatient  for  the  expedition. 

Let  it  not  be  presumed  that  the  honest  and  patriotic 
spirits  of  the  West  for  a  moment  contemplated  treachery 
to  their  country,  or  meditated  a  willful  violation  of  her 
laws.  They  who1  had  breasted  the  storms  of  adversity, 

in  every  conceivable  shape ;  who  had  scaled  the  barriers 
9 


130  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

of  the  Alleghanies,  amid  the  dangers  of  Indian  warfare  ; 
who,  for  many  years,  had  stood  upon  the  frontier  of  civ 
ilization,  and  grappled,  in  deadly  conflict,  with  the  ene 
mies  of  their  country  and  their  race;  who  had  pursued 
the  savage  to  his  wigwam  and  startled  him  from  his 
mountain  fastness ;  these  were  men  whom  impartial  his 
tory  must  pronounce  incapable  of  a  crime  so  base,  so 
revolting  to  the  mind  of  every  patriot.  But  they  were 
deceived,  in  their  over-credulousness,  in  the  statement  of 
Burr,  and  joined  the  expedition,  under  the  well-grounded 
belief  that  Jefferson  favored  it ;  and  that,  in  the  event  of 
war,  it  would  be  neither  illegal  nor  contrary  to  the  wishes 
of  the  government. 


WRITING   IT   UP.  131 


CHAPTER    VII. 

IN  the  month  of  September,  1806,  Burr  commenced 
active  preparations  for  the  contemplated  expedition. 
Contracts  for  fifteen  large  bateaux,  sufficient  to  con 
vey  five  hundred  men,  and  a  large  keel-boat  for  the 
transportation  of  provision,  arms,  ammunition,  etc., 
also  for  flour,  whisky,  corn-meal,  and  other  eatables, 
were  entered  into ;  for  the  most  of  which  Blenner- 
hassett  became  responsible.  Much  of  the  corn,  from 
which  the  meal  was  made,  was  raised  and  kiln-dried 
on  the  island. 

While  these  operations  were  being  carried  forward, 
Burr  visited  Chillicothe,  then  the  seat  of  government 
of  Ohio,  and  continued  his  trip  to  Cincinnati,  and 
thence  to  Kentucky.  The  object  of  this  tour  was  to 
extend  his  acquaintance,  and  add  new  recruits  to  his 
enterprise.  Each  private  was  to  supply  himself  with 
proper  arms  and  clothing,  and  to  receive,  as  a  com 
pensation  for  his  services,  one  hundred  acres  of  land 
on  the  "Washita;  while  officers  were  to  receive  accord 
ing  to  their  grade. 

Soon  after  his  departure,  Blennerhassett  prepared  a 
series  of  essays  which  appeared  in  the  Ohio  Gazette,  a 
newspaper  published  at  Marietta,  by  Fairlamb,  under 
the  signature  of  Querist.  These  exhibited  a  general 


132  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

and  relative  view,  in  a  political  aspect,  of  the  Union  and 
the  western  country ;  presenting  motives  of  expediency 
which  should  induce  a  separation  from  the  Atlantic 
States  in  a  peaceable  and  constitutional  manner.  He 
designed  to  prepare  the  minds  of  his  fellow-citizens  for  a 
crisis  which  he  believed  was  sooner  or  later  approaching, 
not  from  the  motives  of  Burr,  but  from  the  state  of 
affairs  then  existing  on  the  Mississippi,  at  which  an  es 
pousal  of  eastern  or  western  ascendancy  would  determ 
ine  their  future  prosperity.  A  second,  and  perhaps 
paramount,  object  was  to  divert  public  attention  from 
too  close  a  scrutiny  of  the  plans  against  Spain,  which,  if 
successfully  concealed,  might  be  tacitly  approved  by  the 
Government,  and  suffered  to  proceed  without  serious  in 
tervention.  I  insert  but  one  of  these  communications, 
as  the  whole  are  too  voluminous  for  the  design  of  this 
work  : 

September,  1806. 

To  THE  EDITOR  OP  THE  OHIO  GAZETTE  : 

SIR: — Of  all  the  causes  that  produced  our  colonial 
war,  which  terminated  in  the  establishment  of  our  inde 
pendence,  it  has  appeared  to  me  that  the  most  operative, 
if  it  has  ever  been  fully  appreciated  by  our  politicians, 
has  been  least  insisted  upon.  Our  complaints  and  our 
struggles  against  the  mother  country,  however  they  have 
attempted  to  be  bastardized  by  the  blunders  of  the  igno 
rant  or  the  craft  of  the  designing,  had  really  a  commercial 
and  no  other  parentage.  The  unbiassed  judgment  of 
posterity  will  no  doubt  decide  that  the  good  people  of  the 
colonies,  however  justly  entitled  to  all  the  rights  they 
have  vindicated,  were,  nevertheless,  in  establishing  them, 


ESSAYING.  133 

from  the  beginning  to  the  end,  the  unconscious  instru 
ments  of  a  small  party  or  interest  among  themselves ; 
namely,  the  commercial.  To  prove  this  truth,  the  im 
parted  history  of  our  own  times  will  adduce  ample  evi 
dence,  without  need  of  citing  our  early  petitions  and 
remonstrances  to  Britain,  which  alone  would  place  it 
beyond  all  doubt. 

That  the  colonies  then,  in  effect,  took  upon  them  the 
burden  of  the  war  for  the  advantage  of  merchants,  though 
the  issue  of  it  has  produced  the  greatest  benefit  to  us  all, 
is  so  far  our  concern  at  this  day  as  to  induce  us  to  ex 
amine  the  influence  of  the  present  commercial  interest  in 
the  United  States  at  large,  and  the  western  country  in 
particular.  And  this  becomes  the  more  necessary,  as  the 
present  party  in  power  are  said,  by  their  adherents,  to  be 
political  economists  of  the  school  of  Monsieur  Quesnai, 
desirous  to  promote  the  agricultural  at  the  expense  of  the 
commercial  interest ;  while  their  predecessors  in  office,  as 
rigid  followers  of  Mr.  Colbert,  would  advance  on  an  en 
tirely  opposite  system.  But  neither  the  one  nor  the  other 
will  promote  the  resources  of  any  country  without  great 
modification. 

If  the  opinion  I  have  formed  be  well  founded,  that  the 
war  we  have  happily  concluded  by  our  independence  was 
produced  by  the  interests  of  the  mercantile  system  on  the 
Atlantic,  I  have  been  led,  also,  to  suspect  that  the  polit 
ical  federation  of  the  State  comprises  within  it,  in  lik-e- 
nianner,  the  spirit  of  a  commercial  confederacy ;  the 
effects  of  whyjh,  I  trust,  'our  penetration  and  conduct  will 
succeed  to  direct  to  further  beneficial  consequences  to  our 
country  than  are  contemplated  or  regarded  oy  its  members. 


134  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

In  examining  the  commercial  history  of  all  nations,  I 
have  nowhere  found  a  parallel  to  such  a  degree  of  trade 
carried  on  in  any  other  country  as  that  of  our  own,  with 
the  protection  of  so  small  a  navy,  and  the  assistance  of  so 
much  foreign  capital.  The  extent  of  our  navy  is  known 
to  every  one.  But  it  is  not,  probably,  generally  under 
stood,  that  two-thirds  of  the  capital  made  use  of  is  not 
our  own,  but  that  of  foreigners  and  belligerents — some  of 
it  embarked  in  our  home  and  foreign  trade ;  the  rest  in 
our  carrying  trade.  What  influence  from  this  source 
may  flow  into  the  country  it  much  concerns  us  to  weigh 
and  watch.  But  I  have  observed  some  resemblance  in 
the  general  character  of  our  Atlantic  commerce,  and  the 
Teutonic  confederacy,  founded  in  Germany  about  the 
middle  of  the  thirteenth  century.  There  was  created  a 
commercial  confederacy  of  cities,  distant  from  each  other 
in  local  situation  and  Interests.  The  Hanseatic  towns 
associated  for  trade,  not  only  all  the  maritime  cities  of 
Germany,  but  even  comprehended  some  of  France  and 
England — the  whole  directing  the  partial  views  and  inter 
ests  of  individual  members  to  the  profit  of  the  company. 
The  Atlantic  confederation  has  conciliated  the  different 
interests  of  the  North  and  South,  with  the  general  profit 
of  the  whole.  The  Teutonic  confederacy  was  carried  on 
without  interfering  with  the  various  sovereigns  on  whom 
they  depended.  The  Atlantic  confederacy  has  hitherto 
progressed  with  a  successful  accommodation  of  the  vari 
ous  sovereignties  and  local  interests  of  the  respective 
States.  The  German  confederacy  became  objects  of  the 
jealousy,  and  victims  of  the  hatred  of  other  nations,  by 
the  arrogance  arising  out  of  their  prosperity  in  appropri- 


VATICINATIONS.  135 

ating  to  themselves  the  trade  of  the  world  which  they 
had  engrossed.  The  Atlantic  confederacy  may  reach  a 
similar  prosperity,  hut  will  expire  hy  a  like  fate. 

From  this  hasty  sketch  of  the  state  and  principles  of 
our  Atlantic  commerce,  we  are  naturally  led  to  ask,  "  in 
what  manner  these  cis-Allegheny  countries  can  control  or 
be  effected  by  its  interests  ?  "  As  to  the  latter  member 
of  this  query,  I  have  already  said  enough  to  show  how 
diligently  we  should  guard  against  the  insinuation  of 
its  influence  among  us,  and  shall  reserve  myself  on  that 
topic  for  such  further  animadversion  as  may  hereafter 
be  due  to  the  contingent  remarks  of  others.  But  as  to 
the  former,  our  means  or  our  motives  to  injure  the  com 
mercial  pursuits  of  our  brothers  on  the  Atlantic,  will 
now  engage  my  attention. 

"When  I  hear  suggestions  made  of  the  danger  of*  our 
rivaling  the  Atlantic  States  in  their  trade,  I  really  sus 
pect  some  motives  for  uttering  them  worse  than  igno 
rance.  That  the  whole  western  country  must,  at  least 
for  a  lapse  of  ages,  content  itself  under  the  injunctions 
of  nature,  with  the  condition  of  an  agricultural  and  manu 
facturing  country,  is  a  proposition  too  evident  to  be 
seriously  questioned  by  any  one.  In  the  present  state  of 
information,  it  is  equally  known  to  the  fishermen  of 
Nantucket,  and  the  rice-planter  of  Georgia,  that  it  will 
forever  remain  impracticable  for  our  shipping  to  perform 
a  return  voyage  against  the  currents  of  our  long  rivers  ;  * 
that  the  port  of  New  Orleans,  our  only  outlet,  must 
always,  from  its  situation,  be  indefensible  against  a  single 

*  Steam  had  not  then  been  applied  to  the  purposes  of  navigation. 


136  TUB    BLENNERIIASSETT    PAPERS. 

frigate,  and  that  from  our  distance  from  the  sea,  and 
many  temporary  obstacles  added  to  those  that  are  already 
stated  to  be  perpetual  and  insurmountable  by  ourselves, 
the  United  States,  or  some  other  commercial  power,  must 
ever  be  the  carriers  of  our  surplus  produce  from  New 
Orleans. 

It  was  no  serious  alarm,  therefore,  of  our  being  ever 
able  to  entertain  the  project  of  appropriating  generally  to 
ourselves,  either  a  part  of  their  foreign  or  of  their  carry 
ing  trade  that  has  hitherto  engendered  in  the  Atlantic 
merchant  a  desire  to  foster  a  scheme  of  jealous  and  narrow 
policy,  which  they  have  succeeded  in  infusing  into  all  our 
cabinets  and  councils  against  the  advancement  of  our 
western  interests  since  the  Revolution,  which,  from  the 
period  of  the  reservation  of  the  Salt  springs,  to  the  last 
moderate  increase  of  the  price,  in  what  are  called  Con 
gressional  lands,  our  trusty  representatives  have  so  tem 
porarily  forborne  to  expose  to  their  constituents.  The 
real  object  was,  the  monopoly  of  the  West  India  market. 
But  that  market  they  must  share,  and  indeed  abandon  to 
us,  however  our  political  situation  may  vary.  It  should 
not,  however,  be  inferred,  that  the  use  we  can  make  of 
it,  for  a  great  many  years  to  come,  can  materially  injure 
the  commercial  interest  of  the  Atlantic  States.  How 
paltry,  then,  has  been  the  little  jealousy  of  us,  conceived 
upon  this  ground !  How  mean  and  treacherous  the  conceal 
ment  of  it  from  the  people !  But  how  criminal  has  been 
every  system  of  all  our  Federal  and  Republican  cabinets, 
as  regarding  this  division  of  the  Union,  how  masked  to 
our  citizens,  we  will  now  inquire. 

A  wilderness  that  hardly  had  felt  the  footsteps  of  civil- 


PIONEERING.  137 

ized  man,  is  pierced  in  the  midst  of  a  foreign  war.  Our 
adventurous  citizens  first  encounter  all  the  miseries  of  the 
forest,  and  the  savage  warfare  of  the  Indians,  in  prospect 
of  acquiring  a  patrimony  for  their  children.  Their  num 
bers  are  small,  but  they  maintain  their  posts,  and  ever 
march  against  a  foreign  foe  on  their  frontier,  whilst  their 
brethren  are  encountering  him  on  the  sea-board.  After 
many  vicissitudes  of  hardship  and  privation,  they  are 
joined  in  the  woods  by  their  relatives  and  friends,  who 
only  brought  with  them,  out  of  the  Revolutionary  war, 
the  scars  and  wounds  they  received  in  fighting  for  their 
country,  depending  on  her  gratitude  for  the  recompense 
of  their  labors.  Thus  united,  all  strive  in  common  against 
the  savages,  and  participate  in  the  equal  prospect  of  in 
demnity  from  the  State  and  from  Congress.  In  a  short 
time  they  discover  that  those  lands  which  owed  all  their 
worth  to  themselves  are  ceded  to  the  Union.  Indian 
titles  are  set  up,  and  extinguished  by  some  trinkets  and 
some  spirits,  and  the  real  conquerors  of  the  country, 
are  either  confined  to  the  corn  fields  they  had  planted, 
or  left  to  pine  unknown  in  some  more  distant  retreats 
in  the  wilderness.  Such  has  been  the  fortune  of  our 
adventurers  into  the  country  generally,  for  twenty  years, 
from  Pittsburgh  to  the  Mississippi,  particularly  in  Ken 
tucky.  Such  has  been  the  retribution  of  our  country  to 
her  children,  who  have  shed  their  blood  for  her  honor 
and  independence ! 

Notwithstanding  all  restrictions,  however,  of  impolicy 
and  injustice,  our  country  advances  in  population  and 
settlement.  Immense  numbers  of  emigrants  from  the  old 
States  flock  to  our  woods,  and  unite  with  us  in  forcing 


138  THE   BLENNERHASSETT   PAPERS 

the  face  of  our  wilderness  to  unbend  somewhat  of  the 
rigors  of  its  savage  features  to  take  upon  it  the  cheering 
smiles  of  agriculture.  In  ten  or  twelve  years  our  disin 
terested  statesmen  on  the  Atlantic  felicitate  our  delegates 
on  the  growing  prosperity  of  our  country;  profess  to 
them  assurances  of  the  fatherly  love  and  protection  of  the 
Federal  Government ;  invite  them  to  return  into  the 
family  of  the  Union,  from  which  they  had  eloped  by 
their  emigration,  so  soon  as  they  shall  be  entitled  to  re- 
admission  therein,  by  some  years  probation  in  passing 
through  the  purgatory  of  a  territorial  government,  when 
they  shall  be  honored  by  being  permitted  to  contribute  to 
State  and  Federal  revenues,  not  through  the  coercion  of 
an  ordinance  of  Congress,  but  by  their  own  representa 
tives  ;  when,  instead  of  no  representative  government  at 
all,  they  shall  be  placed  under  two,  without  paying  both 
of  which,  they  will  be  neither  able  to  protect  themselves 
against  Bonaparte  or  the  grand  Mogul,  to  make  laws  for 
the  restraint  of  crimes  or  the  security  of  property  in  the 
woods.  Such  or  similar  topics  of  comfort  and  admonition 
have  been  swallowed  by  the  large  ears  of  our  representa 
tives  ;  such  they  have  echoed  to  their  constituents.  The 
people,  on  their  side,  illy  fitted,  by  their  habits  and  occu 
pations,  for  sounding  the  depths  of  these  speculations, 
have  innocently  believed  their  interests,  if  not  duly  at 
tended  to,  were  not  at  least  betrayed.  But  now  they  be 
gin  to  inquire  what  mysterious  complication  of  circum 
stances  reduces  them  to  the  necessity  of  supporting  two 
governments,  with  two  judiciaries  to  repress  private 
wrongs,  and  enforce  private  rights,  in  a  country  where 
both  are  few  and  simple ;  to  contribute  two  revenues  to 


QUERIST'S  CONCLUSIONS.  139 

two  executives,  some  of  them  non-resident  among  them, 
and  all  alive  to  their  own  interests ;  in  short,  to  pay  the 
wages  of  a  double  representation,  which  has  hitherto 
neglected  or  sacrificed  the  proper  objects  of  its  mission. 
When  we  soberly  interrogate  ourselves  on  these  subjects 
we  readily  find  a  clue  that  will  easily  lead  us  out  of  the 
mazes  of  the  labyrinth  in  which  we  have  so  long  wan 
dered.  We  shall  then  behold,  in  the  open  field  of  inves 
tigation,  into  which  I  perhaps  have  first  entered,  the  two 
principal,  if  not  the  only,  enemies  of  our  rights  and  inter 
ests — ill-founded  prejudices  of  commercial  growth  and 
origin  in  the  Atlantic  States,  against  the  effects  of  our 
prosperity  in  the  western  country,  and  the  neglect  of  that 
inquiry  or  information  hitherto  by  our  citizens,  which 
should  enable  them  properly  to  appreciate  their  civil  and 
political  situation  both  present  and  to  come. 

How  far  I  may  have  deserved  well  of  the  country  in 
reconnoitering  the  enemy  in  his  trenches,  as  I  promised 
in  my  last,  and  have  endeavored  in  this  paper,  I  will  not 
presume  to  judge.  At  some  after  period,  when  the 
warmth  of  interest,  passion  and  party  shall  subside,  I  will 
patiently,  and  I  hope  with  dignity,  abide  the  judgment 
of  my  fellow-citizens.  In  the  same  spirit  I  shall,  in  my 
next  paper,  consider  those  objections  that  have  occurred 
to  me  against  the  measure  of  a  severance  of  the  Union, 
with  the  reputations  they  may  require.  But  I  wish  it 
understood,  that  I  have  no  intention  of  recommending 
either  the  mode  or  the  time  in  which  it  should  be  effected. 
An  individual  embarked  in  the  vessel  of  my  country, 
when  I  alarm  my  shipmates  with  my  report,  that  the 
helm  is  deserted  or  improperly  manned,  I  do  not  pre- 


140  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

eume  to  dictate  to  them  how  or  whither  they  should  steer 
till  called  upon  to  do  so.  In  the  mean  time,  however,  the 
timid  or  designing  among  the  crew  may  do  well  to  com 
pose  their  alarms,  or  regulate  their  schemes,  "by  an  implicit 
assurance  that  through  all  changes  and  chances  of  the 
voyage  I  shall  always  be  found  at  my  post,  wherever  pri 
vate  honor  or  public  duty  may  summon  me. 

QUERIST. 

Lexington,  Kentucky,  was  then  a  central  point  in  the 
western  Territories  of  the  United  States ;  then,  as  now, 
its  society  was  of  the  most  intelligent  and  refined  in 
the  Mississippi  valley.  The  best  and  most  ancient  and 
honorable  families  of  Virginia  and  the  South  had  its 
legitimate  representatives  in  her  gay  assemblies.  No  one 
accustomed  to  the  elegancies  of  refined  society,  either  in 
the  old  or  new  world,  ever  visited  its  hospitable  mansions 
without  an  agreeable  surprise  at  the  taste  and  cultivation 
of  its  ladies,  and  the  high-toned  gallantry  of  its  men. 
No  other  village  of  equal  population,  no  other  suburban 
settlements,  I  assert  it  not  disparagingly,  could  boast  a 
longer  catalogue  of  equally  illustrious  names.  In  those 
days,  to  cross  the  Alleghennies  without  running  over  to 
Lexington,  would  be  to  visit  France  without  a  stroll  along 
the  Boulevards,  or  to  wander  over  Italy  without  look 
ing  in  upon  the  Vatican. 

In  the  month  of  October,  Mrs.  Alston,  the  accom 
plished  daughter  of  Col.  Burr,  was  joined  by  her  husband 
at  the  Island  Mansion.  The  ostensible  object  of  the 
visit  was  the  re-establishment  of  her  health,  and  the 
gratification  of  her  father,  who  desired  her  company  on 


COL.    ALSTON.  141 

his  wild  and  solitary  rambles.  Lexington  had  been 
designated  as  the  point  of  rendezvous,  and  thither  they 
repaired,  accompanied  by  Blennerhassett.  The  manner 
of  their  reception — the  marked  respect  and  generous  hos 
pitality  which  was  every-where  extended,  flattered  them 
with  the  hope  of  the  popularity  of  the  movement.  Meas 
ures  were  immediately  initiated  for  a  thorough  organiza 
tion.  It  was  strongly  suspected  that  meetings  for  this 
purpose  were  being  secretly  held  after  the  manner  of 
those  inaugurated  by  Genet.  Hence  the  utmost  precau 
tion  was  necessary  to  conceal  from  the  public  observation 
every  thing  that  might  excite  their  alarm.  Among  the 
desirable  qualities  for  a  successful  commander,  it  is  said, 
not  the  least  is  the  art  of  conducting  a  safe  retreat,  aa 
well  as  a  decisive  attack.  He  should  know  how  to  cover 
his  retiring  files,  as  well  as  to  order  to  an  advance.  To 
quiet  the  apprehension  of  the  country  it  was  necessary  to 
adopt  some  plausible  pretext  with  which  to  mask  the  real 
design,  and  actually  to  be  embraced  in  case  of  a  failure. 
Hence  it  was  announced  that  the  object  of  the  movement 
was  the  colonization  of  the  Bastrop  lands.  A  purchase 
was  therefore  agreed  upon  for  several  thousand  acres 
lying  on  the  waters  of  the  Washita,  which,  with  many 
of  the  uninitiated,  was  supposed  to  be  their  real  destina 
tion. 

Col.  Alston  was  a  man  ot  large  fortune.  He  was  ex 
tensively  engaged  in  the  culture  of  rice,  in  the  State  of 
South  Carolina ;  but  a  succession  of  failures  in  crops  had 
left  him  destitute  of  ready  means  to  supply  the  neces 
sities  of  Burr.  These,  upon  his  personal  guaranty,  were 
furnished  by  Blennerhassett,  who  had  to  resort  to  his 


142  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

friends  for  his  own  accommodation.  The  following  letter 
throws  some  light  upon  the  subject,  and  may  settle  the 
question  which  was  afterward  disputed  : 

LEXINGTON,  KY.,  Oct.  l&th,  1806. 
MESSRS.  Jos.  S.  LEWIS  &  Co.,  PHILA.  : 

DEAR  SIRS  : — Having  found  in  this  place  a  most  valua 
ble  opportunity  of  participating  with  some  friends  of  the 
first  respectability  and  resources  in  the  Union,  in  a  com 
mercial  and  land  speculation,  the  prospect  of  effecting 
which  depends  on  my  obtaining  a  credit  with  you,  or 
some  other  friends,  for  eight  or  ten  thousand  dollars,  by 
your  honoring  my  drafts  at  sixty  and  ninety  days,  I  feel 
no  hesitation  in  resorting  to  your  approved  friendship  for 
my  accommodation.  In  order  to  supply  the  deficit  of  my 

actual  funds,  under  your  management,  in  the  stock, 

I  can  vouch  for  your  receiving  about  one  thousand  pounds 
Irish  on  my  account,  in  the  course  of  twelve  months. 
But  I  can  at  any  time  give  security  on  the  vast  estates, 
and  other  property  of  Joseph  Alston,  Esq.,  of  South 
Carolina,  who  is  absolutely  exempt  from  all  manner  of 
incumbrance,  and  is  the  son-in-law  of  Col.  Burr. 

In  a  case  of  such  interest  and  importance,  which,  be 
sides  in  the  event  of  my  success,  will  not  be  indifferent  to 
your  mercantile  concerns  hereafter,  I  hope  I  need  urge 
no  further  apology,  for  the  first  freedom  of  this  kind  I 
have  ventured  with  you. 

I  shall  therefore  expect  your  answer  as  soon  as  I  can 
have  it  by  post,  directed  to  me  at  home ;  and,  in  the 
mean  time,  I  remain  as  I  ever  shall,  dear  sirs. 

Your  faithful  friend,  HARMAN  BLENNERHASSETT 


RETROSPECT.  143 

P.  S. — I  can  not  embark  on  an  aid  short  of  $8,000,  but 
$10,000  would  improve  the  concern  I  look  for  almost 
doubly.  H.  B. 

The  expedition,  in  the  eyes  of  many,  began  now  to 
assume  a  serious  aspect ;  and,  through  the  medium  of  the 
press,  attracted  the  attention  of  those  more  remote  from 
the  scene  of  preparations.  Apprehension  and  alarm 
seized  on  the  public  mind,  and  spread  dismay  throughout 
the  country.  Spain  had  refused  us  compensation  for  her 
spoliations  during  a  former  war.  Our  commerce  passing 
on  the  Mobile  river  continued  to  be  obstructed  by  arbi 
trary  duties  and  vexatious  searches.  The  boundaries  of 
Louisiana  remained  in  dispute,  producing  much  uneasiness 
and  discontent  in  the  south-west.  The  Government  had 
been  deterred  from  a  declaration  of  war  by  Napoleon, 
from  the  effects  of  whose  arms  Europe  was  then  trem 
bling,  and  who  had  intimated  that  France  would  take 
part  with  Spain  in  any  contest  she  might  have  against 
the  United  States.  Add  to  these,  the  impressment  of 
American  seamen  by  British  vessels,  and  it  will  be  seen 
our  nation  was  at  once  reduced  to  a  situation  of  painful 
humiliation. 

Feeble,  indeed,  would  be  that  aid  which  a  disunited 
people  could  render,  in  time  of  perils  such  as  these. 
Never  before,  in  the  history  of  the  nation,  had  rebellion 
and  disunion  so  openly  avowed  itself.  How  far  this  dis 
affection  extended  was,  to  many,  a  matter  of  mysterious 
and  anxious  conjecture.  Burr  had,  but  a  few  years  previ 
ously,  closed  a  close  and  popular  canvass  for  the  executive 
chair.  It  was  known  that,  not  only  his  partisans,  but  his 


144  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

personal  friends,  were  numerous ;  many  of  whom  were 
men  of  wealth  and  influence,  who  could  rally  to  their 
standard  a  formidable  number  to  support  the  cause  of 
faction.  Party  malevolence  and  personal  animosity  added 
fuel  to  the  flame,  and  ultimate  ruin  hung,  as  a  withering 
pall,  over  the  destinies  of  the  country. 

A  rumor  was  gaining  ground  that  a  numerous  and 
powerful  association,  extending  from  New  York,  through 
the  Western  States,  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  had  been 
formed  ;  that  eight  or  ten  thousand  men  were  to  rendez 
vous  in  New  Orleans,  at  no  distant  period ;  and  from 
thence,  with  the  co-operation  of  a  naval  force,  follow 
Burr  to  Yera  Cruz ;  that  agents  from  Mexico  had  come 
to  Philadelphia  during  the  s,ummer,  and  had  given  assur 
ances  that  the  landing  of  the  expedition  would  be  fol 
lowed  by  such  an  immediate  and  general  insurrection  as 
would  insure  the  submission  of  the  existing  Government, 
and  silence  all  opposition  in  a  very  few  weeks ;  that 
a  part  of  the  association  would  descend  the  Alleghenny 
river,  and  the  first  general  rendezvous  would  be  at  the 
rapids  of  the  Ohio,  toward  the  20th  of  October,  and  from 
thence  the  aggregate  force  was  to  proceed  in  light-boats, 
with  the  utmost  velocity,  to  New  Orleans,  under  an 
expectation  of  being  joined  on  the  route  by  men  raised 
in  the  State  of  Tennessee  and  other  quarters. 

It  was  said  that  the  maritime  co-operation  relied  on 
was  from  a  British  squadron  in  the  West  Indies  ;  that 
active  and  influential  characters  had  been  engaged  in 
making  preparations  for  six  or  eight  months  past,  which 
were  in  such  a  state  of  readiness  that  it  was  expected  the 
van  would  reach  New  Orleans  in  December,  where  the 


ON   THE    LOOK-OUT.  145 

necessary  organization  and  equipment  would  be  com 
pleted  with  such  promptitude  that  the  expedition  would 
leave  the  Mississippi  toward  the  first  of  February.  It 
was  added,  that  the  revolt  of  the  slaves,  along  the  river, 
was  relied  on,  as  an  auxiliary  measure ;  and  that  the 
seizure  of  the  banks  of  New  Orleans  was  contemplated 
to  supply  the  funds  necessary  to  carry  on  the  enterprise.* 

Mr.  Jefferson,  then  President  of  the  United  States, 
through  considerations  of  caution,  and  to  quell  the  appre 
hension  of  danger,  adopted  the  precautionary  measure  of 
appointing  Graham,  the  Secretary  of  the  Territory  of 
Orleans,  a  secret  agent  of  the  Government,  with  instruc 
tions  to  spy  out  and  investigate  any  plot  hostile  to  the 
national  interest ;  empowering  him  to  enter  into  confer 
ences  with  the  civil  and  military  authorities  in  the  West, 
and,  with  their  aid,  to  call  on  the  spot  whatever  should 
become  necessary  to  discover  the  designs  of  the  supposed 
conspirators ;  and  also  to  bring  the  offenders  to  punish 
ment,  when  he  should  have  fully  ascertained  their  in 
tentions. 

It  being  known,  at  this  time,  that  many  boats  were  in 
preparation,  stores  and  provisions  collected,  and  an  un 
usual  number  of  suspicious  characters  in  motion,  on  the 
Ohio  and  its  tributaries,  orders  were  given  to  the  Gov 
ernor  of  the  Mississippi  and  Orleans  Territories,  and  to 
the  commanders  of  the  land  and  naval  forces,  to  be  on 
their  guard  against  surprise,  and  in  constant  readiness  to 
resist  any  enterprise  that  might  be  attempted. 

On  the  8th  of  November,  instructions  had  been  sent  to 


*  Martin's  History  of  Louisiana. 

10 


146  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

General  Wilkinson,  to  hasten  on  accommodations  with 
the  Spanish  commander  on  the  Sabine,  and  fall  back  with 
his  principal  force  on  the  hither  bank  of  the  Mississippi.* 
This  order,  however,  had  been  anticipated  by  Wilkinson, 
who,  on  the  5th  of  the  same  month,  three  days  previous 
to  the  dispatch  of  the  instructions,  having  received  intel 
ligence  that  the  Spanish  camp  on  the  Sabine  would  be 
broken  up  on  that  day,  began  his  march  toward  Natchi- 
toches.  Immediately  on  his  arrival  there,  he  had  directed 
Porter  to  proceed  with  the  utmost  expedition,'  and  to 
repair,  mount,  and  equip  for  service,  every  piece  of  ord 
nance  in  the  city ;  to  employ  all  hands  in  preparing 
shells,  grape,  canister  and  musket  cartridges,  with  buck 
shot  ;  to  have  every  fieldpiece  ready,  with  horse,  harness 
and  drag-rope,  and  to  mount  six  or  eight  battering  can-* 
nons  on  fort  St.  Charles  and  fort  St.  Louis,  below  and 
above  the  city,  and  along  its  front,  flanks  and  rear. 

Porter  left  Natchitoches  with  all  the  artificers,  and  com 
pany  of  one  hundred  men,  and  had  been  followed  by 
Gushing  with  the  rest  of  the  forces,  leaving  only  one 
company  behind.  Wilkinson,  on  his  way  to  New  Gr- 
leans,  stopped  at  Natchez,  and  made  application  to  the 
Executive  of  the  Mississippi  Territory  for  a  detachment 
of  five  hundred  men  of  its  militia  to  proceed  with  him ; 
but,  declining  to  communicate  his  motives  in  making  the 
requisition,  the  Governor  refused  a  compliance  with  so 
mysterious  a  demand, 

From  this  place,  Wilkinson,  on  the  fifteenth  of  Novem 
ber,  dispatched  Burling,  one  of  his  aids,  to  Mexico,  for 


*  Jefferson's  Message  of  22d  of  January,  1807. 


RUMORS    CONFIRMED.  147 

the  ostensible  purpose  of  apprising  the  Viceroy  of  the 
danger  with  which  his  sovereign's  dominions  were  men 
aced  ;  hut,  in  reality,  as  the  general  mentions  in  his  mem 
oirs,  on  grounds  of  public  policy  and  professional  enter 
prise,  to  attempt  to  penetrate  the  veil  which  concealed 
the  topographical  route  to  the  city  of  Mexico,  and  the 
military  defenses  which  intervened — feeling  that  the 
equivocal  relation  of  the  two  countries  justified  the  ruse.* 

As  soon  as  Wilkinson  arrived  in  '!New  Orleans,  he  held 
an  interview  with  Governor  Claiborne ;  at  which  time  it 
was  deemed  expedient  to  convoke  the  merchants  of  the 
city,  to  adopt  precautionary  measures  for  their  security. 
The  latter,  in  an  animated  address,  exhorted  them  to 
assist  him  in  his  efforts  for  the  defense  of  the  city,  and 
solemnly  swore,  in  the  enthusiastic  style  peculiar  to  him, 
that,  if  it  were  taken  by  the  vessels,  he  would  perish  in 
the  endeavor  to  repel  the  assault.  The  meeting  adopted, 
unanimously,  some  spirited  and  patriotic  resolutions.  A 
considerable  sum  was  subscribed  to  be  distributed  as 
bounty  among  such  sailors  as  might  engage  to  serve  on 
board  the  ships.  Many  of  the  guns  of  the  city  were 
plaped  upon  the  merchantmen  in  the  river;  and  a  re 
spectable  fleet  was  suddenly  formed,  to  oppose  that  of  the 
British,  which  was  expected  from  the  West  Indies.  :.  ' 

The  rumors  which  had  induced  this  energetic  action, 
on  the  part  of  the  Government,  had  been  but  recently 
confirmed  by  the  reception,  on  the  part  of  the  President, 
of  the  proceedings  of  a  meeting  in  Wood  County,  Vir 
ginia,  expressive  of  alarm  for  the  safety  of  the  country, 

*  Martin's  History  of  Louisiana. 


148  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

by  the  accumulating  evidences  of  the  complicity  of  Burr 
and  Blennerhasset,  in  a  mysterious  and,  as  many  helieved, 
treasonable  design. 

The  cause  of  their  apprehension  proceeded  from  a  par 
tial  revelation  of  the  objects  of  the  expedition  to  some 
of  his  more  intimate  acquaintance,  by  Blennerhassett, 
and  to  whom,  also,  he  had  made  a  secret  acknowledgment 
of  the  authorship  of  "  Querist." 

Mrs.  Blennerhassett,  having  learned  of  the  meeting, 
and  being  informed  that  a  battalion  of  three  companies, 
under  command  of  Col.  Phelps,  were  then  mustering  at 
the  Point  (Parkersburg),  intending  to  make  a  descent 
that  evening,  to  burn  the  mansion  and  seize  the  kiln- 
dried  corn,  dispatched  Peter  Taylor  to  Kentucky,  to  in 
form  her  husband  of  the  danger  with  which  his  person 
and  property  were  menaced. 

On  the  receipt  of  the  intelligence  he  immediately  left 
for  home.  Reflecting  on  his  way  that  he  should  be  un 
provided  with  the  means  of  defense  to  protect  himself 
against  the  attack  of  the  militia,  he  called  upon  Dr.  Ben 
nett,  of  Mason  County,  Virginia,  to  learn  any  particulars 
of  which  he  was  advised,  and  to  secure  such  aid  as  the 
Doctor  might  be  able  to  afford  him  in  the  defense  of  his 
property  at  the  Island.  He  protested  the  innocence  of 
their  designs,  and  abjured  any  intention  of-  a  separation 
of  the  Union,  unless  by  the  voluntary  act  of  the  people, 
when  such  a  measure  should  be  rendered  expedient.  He 
communicated  the  fact  of  the  purchase  of  the  Bastrop 
lands,  and  desired  to  enlist  such  persons  as  might  be 
desirous  of  emigrating.  Taking  leave  of  the  Doctor  at 
the  ferry,  he  arrived  at  the  Island  on  the  following  day. 


GRATEFUL    SENTIMENTS.  149 

The  excitement  had  by  no  means  abated.  Rumors  had 
reached  him  that  an  attempt  would  be  made  on  his  per 
son  that  evening ;  but  as  Col.  Phelps  had  assured  Mrs. 
Blennerhassett,  during  the  absence  of  her  husband,  that 
she  should  be  protected  against  violence,  he  felt  no  imme 
diate  apprehension  of  danger.  On  being  informed  of  the 
facts,  he  dispatched,  by  a  messenger,  the  following  com 
munication  to  the  Colonel : 

WOOD  COUNTY,  Nov.  3d,  1806. 
COLONEL  PHELPS: 

DEAR  SIR  : — Just  returned  home,  after  a  journey  of 
seven  hundred  miles,  I  hasten  to  express  to  you  the  satis 
faction  with  which  I  learned,  on  the  road,  that  you  had 
been  invested  with  the  command  of  the  two  volunteer 
companies  that  had  been  raised  in  this  country  during  my 
absence,  as  that  circumstance  afforded  me  a  sure  guaran 
tee  against  the  idle  reports  I  had  heard,  of  any  misguided 
violence  intended  by  my  neighbors  against  my  family  or 
property  while  I  was  not  on  the  ground  to  defend  them. 
But  the  information  my  wife  has  given  me  of  the  purport 
of  the  friendly  message  you  sent  her,  at  a  time  when  you 
thought  it  would  be  expedient,  has  laid  me  under  per 
sonal  obligations  to  you,  and  rendered  it  a  duty  with  me 
to  endeavor  to  revive  our  former  neighborly  intercourse, 
especially  at  a  season  when  so  much  misconception  mis 
leads  the  people,  propagated,  as  I  have  no  doubt  I  can 
satisfy  you,  by  your  enemies  and  their  own,  when  I  shall 
have  the  pleasure  of  an  hour's  unreserved  conversation 
with  you,  in  which  I  expect  I  can  make  you  some  propo- 


150  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

sitlons  that  will  engage  your  attention  and  be  serviceable 
to  jour  best  interests.  I  therefore  embrace  the  earliest 
opportunity  of  soliciting  an  interview  with  you,  and,  in 
consideration  of  my  fatigue,  I  take  the  liberty  of  request 
ing  to  see  you  this  evening,  and  accept  of  a  bed  with  us ; 
or  if  that  should  be  inconvenient  to  you,  I  shall  do  my 
self  the  pleasure  of  attending  any  appointment  you  may 
designate  for  to-morrow. 

I  am,  dear  sir,  your  obliged  and  obedient  servant, 

HARMAN  BLENNERHASSETT. 


Col.  Phelps  to  Blennerhassett. 

NEWPORT,  Nov.  6th,  1806. 

DEAR  SIR  : — From  circumstances  of  business,  it  was  out 
of  my  power  to  attend  at  Col.  Cushing's  so  early  as  my 
appointment.  A  short  time  after  you  left  there  I  went 
over,  and  found  your  note  requesting  me  to  wait  upon 
you  this  day.  I  am  sorry  that,  from  similar  circum 
stances,  I  shall  not  be  able  to  comply ;  but,  if  you  should 
be  at  home,  I  shall  do  myself  the  pleasure  to  wait  upon 
you  to-morrow. 

Your  obedient  servant,  HUGH  PHELPS. 

Col.  Phelps  having  visited  Blennerhassett,  according  to 
appointment,  the  latter  thanked  him  for  informing  his 
wife  of  the  rumors  which  were  afloat,  and  the  measures 
which  had  been  adopted  to  arrest  the  designs  of  himself 
and  associates.  He  effected,  however,  to  ridicule  the 
reports  he  had  heard  of  the  injuries  threatened  his  fam- 


CONSULTATION.  151 

ily,  and  suggested  that  he  suspected  the  other  party  in 
the  country  under  the  influence  of  the  Hendersons,  was 
becoming  so  strong  that  its  leaders  would  probably  over 
turn  the  Colonel's  interest,  on  which  alone  they  had 
hitherto  depended  for  whatever  popularity  they  had 
acquired,  and  cautioned  the  Colonel  against  any  coalition 
or  co-operation  they  might,  seek  with  him,  in  exciting 
clamor  or  suspicion  against  the  views  or  intentions  of 
Aaron  Burr  or  his  friends,  which  the  past  conduct  of  the 
Hendersons  toward  him  should  induce  him  to  avoid. 

Col.  Phelps,  in  reply,  complained  much  of  the  ill-treat 
ment  he  had  received  from  the  Hendersons.  Blennerhas- 
sett,  stated  his  concern  with  Aaron  Burr  in  a  land  pur 
chase  ;  that  he  solicited  or  invited  no  person  to  join  in 
the  emigration,  though  many  had  voluntarily  offered  to 
do  so,  but  added  that  if  the  Colonel  wished  a  concern  for 
himself  or  his  friends,  he  might  look  to  the  example 
of  General  Jackson,  and  other  characters  of  distinction, 
who,  Blennerhassett  understood,  were  going  to  join  in 
the  settlement  with  many  associates;  that,  as  to  the 
rumors  and  suspicions  that  had  been  circulated  of  Col. 
Burr,  or  his  friends,  which  accused  them  of  engaging  in 
any  thing  against  the  laws  of  the  United  States,  such 
were  wholly  groundless  ;  but  it  was  not  unlikely  that  the 
proximity  of  the  purchase  to  that  part  of  the  country 
where  an  engagement  had  already  taken  place,  or  might 
soon  be  expected,  between  General  Wilkinson  and  the 
Spaniards,  would  engage*  Col.  Burr  and  his  friends  in 
some  of  the  earliest  adventures  of  the  war;  General 
Jackson  being  already  prepared  to  march  with  one  thou- 


152  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

sand  or  fifteen  hundred  of  his  Tennessee  militia,  when 
ever  he  should  think  himself  authorized  by  the  orders  or 
wishes  of  the  Government  to  put  that  body  in  motion. 
Col.  Phelps  received  this  information  with  declining  to 
embark  himself,  on  account  of  his  family  and  the  unset 
tled  state  of  his  affairs,  but  said  he  had  no  doubt  many 
young  men  from  Wood  county  would  be  glad  to  go  with 
Blennerhassett,  to  whom  he  would  recommend  the  specu 
lation,  as  he  might  have  opportunities. 

From  General  Devereaux. 

BALTIMORE,  Oct.  13th,  1806. 
HARMAN  BLENNERHASSETT,  ESQ.  : 

MY  DEAREST  FRIEND  : — Your  last  esteemed  letter  I  have 
duly  received.  I  am  both  rejoiced  and  saddened  at  it. 
.Rejoiced  I  am,  that  it  should  be  my  good  fortune  to  be  so 
kindly  held  in  the  light  I  see  I  am,  by  those  so  dear  to 
me,  as  you  and  your  estimable  lady.  I  am,  however, 
both  saddened  and  distressed,  that  my  affairs  are  not  in 
that  train  to  permit  me  to  join  you  in  this  month,  as  I 
had  fondly  contemplated,  and  as  you  so  much  wish. 
Such  is  the  nature  of  our  business,  that  it  is  utterly  im 
possible  for  me  to  wind  it  up  at  present,  and  this  from 
new  and  unexpected  obstacles — obstacles  which  I  shall 
fully  explain  to  your  satisfaction,  and  the  satisfaction  of 
our  great  and  common  friend,  when  we  meet. 

How  grateful  and  flattered  do  I  feel,  my  valued  sir,  for 
the  good  opinion  you  are  pleased  to  express  and  entertain 
of  me.  On  this  subject  I  shall  only  further  add,  that  I 
trust  I  shall  never  disappoint  you  in  these  sentiments, 


PROSECUTION.  153 

and  that  I  may  yet  have  opportunities  of  evincing  my 
gratitude  by  actions  instead  of  words. 
*  Please  present  your  worthy  Mrs.  Blennerhassett  with 
my  kindest  and  best  respects,  and  assure  yourself,  my 
ever  dear  sir,  of  the  warm  attachment  I  shall  ever  feel 
for  you,  and  those  that  belong  to  you. 

Yours  most  truly,  J.  DEVEREUX. 

p.  S. — Should  you  see  our  distinguished  friend  shortly, 
recall  me  to  him  with  that  ardent  respect  and  attachment 
which  I  feel  for  him.  Do  n't  forget. 

Shortly  after  his  arrival  at  the  island,  Blennerhassett 
was  joined  by  Burr,  who  had  also  returned  from  Ken 
tucky  and  his  journey  through  Ohio.  He  did  not  remain 
long,  however,  at  the  scene  of  preparations  on  the  Mus- 
kingum.  Having  completed  his  arrangements,  he  left 
Blennerhassett  to  superintend  the  construction  of  the 
boats,  to  make  the  necessary  preparation,  and  to  follow 
him,  as  soon  as  practicable,  to  the  mouth  of  the  Cumber 
land,  with  the  men,  provisions  and  boats. 

Burr  proceeded  down  the  Ohio  to  Kentucky,  where  he 
had  hardly  landed  before  he  was  arrested,  and  carried 
before  the  United  States'  Court,  on  a  charge  of  "  treason 
able  practices,  and  a  design  to  attack  the  Spanish  do 
mains,  and  thereby  endanger  the  peace  of  the  United 
States."  He  announces  the  fact  as  follows  : 

LEXINGTON,  Nov.  6th,  1806. 

Yesterday,  Mr.  Jos.  Davis,  the  district  attorney  of  the 
United  States,  made  an  application  to  the  federal  court  at 


154  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

Frankfort,  for  a  warrant  to  apprehend  me  for  treasonable 
practice,  or  on  some  suspicion  thereof.  The  charge  is 
not  well-defined  by  my  informant,  but  the  substance  is, 
"  a  design  to  attack  the  Spanish  dominions,  and  thereby 
endanger  the  peace  of  the  United  States."  How  this 
charge  was  supported,  I  have  not  heard ;  but  absurd  and 
ridiculous  as  it  may  appear,  the  judge  has  taken  time 
until  this  day  to  consider  if  he  should  refuse  to  grant  the 
warrant.  He  must  expect  a  tornado  of  abuse  from  the 
W.  World  and  some  other  papers.  It  is  also  probable, 
that  villains  enough  may  have  been  found  to  encounter 
all  the  perjuries  which  may  be  thought  necessary  to  grat 
ify  malice.  These  things  taken  together,  it  is  fair  to 
infer,  as  probable,  that  the  warrant  will  be  granted.  Un 
fortunately  this  being  a  proceeding  on  suspicion,  and 
previous  to  any  inquiry  by  a  grand  jury,  no  immediate 
trial  can  be  had,  and  the  object  undoubtedly  is  to  give  a 
sort  of  sanction  to  the  charge  by  this  measure,  in  order 
to  influence  public  opinion.  You  perceive,  my  dear  sir, 
that  this  step  will  embarrass  me  in  my  project  of  the 
Washita  settlement.  I  pray,  however,  that  you  will  have 
no  solicitude  about  me  ;  and  it  will  afford  me  the  highest 
gratification,  if  my  friends  should  feel  as  little  anxiety  for 
the  result  as  will  be  felt  by  your  faithful  and  affectionate, 

A.  BURR. 
H.  BLENNERHASSETT,  ESQ. 

p.  g. — You  perceive  that  this  event  will  deprive  me  of 
the  pleasure  of  seeing  you  at  your  <own  house.  I  should 
not  have  disturbed  your  repose  with  this  relation,  had 


DISSUASION.  155 

I  not  known  that  it  would  come  to  you  with  exaggera 
tions  through  an  hundred  channels.  A.  B. 

The  arrest  was  premature,  and  Burr  was  discharged 
for  want  of  evidence. 

Near  the  middle  of  November,  Graham,  the  Govern 
ment's  confidential  agent,  proceeded  to  Marietta,  where 
extensive  preparations  were  going  on.  Here  he  met,  and 
held  an  interview  with,  Blennerhassett.  After  discoursing 
upon  the  subject  of  the  expedition,  with  a  frankness 
which  was  only  warranted  by  a  well-founded  belief  (from 
what  Burr  had  previously  intimated)  that  Graham  was 
considered  as  one  of  the  recruits,  Blennerhassett  read  to 
him  some  communications  he  had  just  received  by  the 
hand  of  Capt.  Elliott,  and  also  from  the  preceding  one 
of  Burr,  in  relation  to  his  arrest  and  trial  at  Frankfort, 
upon  which  Blennerhassett  animadverted  with  great 
severity.  Graham  finding  Blennerhassett  was  laboring 
under  a  delusion,  in  regard  to  the  part  that  he  was  to 
perform  in  the  transaction,  informed  him  that  Burr's 
representations,  as  to  him  (Graham)  being  with  or  favor 
ing  the  expedition,  were  groundless.  With  no  little  sur 
prise,  he  asked  Graham  whether  he  had  not  heard  of  an 
association,  in  New  Orleans,  for  the  invasion  of  Mexico. 
Upon  Graham  venturing  to  assure  him  that  there  was  no 
such  association  there,  Blennerhassett  stated  that  he  had 
been  informed  by  Bradford,  the  printer  of  the  "  Gazette 
d'Orleans,"  that  about  three  hundred  men  had  already 
joined  the  expedition. 

Considering  Blennerhassett  most  cruelly  deceived,  Gra- 


156  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

ham  endeavored  to  draw  him  off  from  the  undertaking, 
in  which  he  was  engaged ;  and  conceiving  it  the  policy 
of  the  Government  to  prevent,  rather  than  to  punish, 
such  enterprises,  he  informed  Blennerhassett  that,  so  far 
from  heing  concerned  in  the  plan,  he  was  the  Govern 
ment's  authorized  agent  to  inquire  into  the  facts  relative 
to  the  enterprise  in  the  western  country,  and  to  take  such 
steps  as  might  be  necessary  for  repressing  it.  He  then 
stated  to  Mr.  Blennerhassett,  from  reasons  drawn  from 
Burr's  visit  to  New  Orleans  during  the  preceding  sum 
mer,  from  the  information  which  the  Government  had 
received,  and  from  the  nature  of  the  preparations  which 
Blennerhassett  himself  was  then  making,  why  he  helieved 
the  object  of  Burr  was  either  to  attack  the  Territories  of 
Spain  or  those  of  the  United  States  ;  and  added,  that  any 
collection  of  armed  men  on  the  Ohio  river  would,  under 
the  circumstances,  be  considered  a  violation  of  the  laws, 
and  repressed  accordingly. 

The  object  and  extent  of  the  preparations  at  Marietta 
having  ben  fully  ascertained  by  Graham,  according  to 
instructions,  he  visited  the  Governor  of  Ohio,  at  Chilli- 
cothe,  to  procure  the  aid  of  the  State  authorities  in  sup 
pressing  the  suspected  formidable  measures.  Governor 
Tiffin  communicated  the  matter  to  the  Legislature,  then 
in  session,  whereupon  an  act  was  immediately  passed,  en 
titled  "  An  act  to  prevent  certain  acts  hostile  to  the  peace 
and  tranquillity  of  the  United  States,  within  the  jurisdic 
tion  of  the  State  of  Ohio."  * 

*  Chase's  Statutes  of  Ohio,  Vol.  I,  p.  553. 


INCIDENTS.  1 57 

Under  this  act,  Governor  Tiffin  ordered  out  the  militia 
of  the  adjacent  neighborhood,  under  command  of  Major- 
General  Buell,  of  Marietta,  with  instructions  to  that  * 
officer  to  take  forcible  possession  of  the  boats  and  stores, 
not  only  upon  the  Muskingum,  but  also  of  all  others  of  a 
suspicious  character  descending  the  Ohio. 

A  warlike  array  of  undisciplined  militia,  with  cannon, 
necessary  equipage  and  arms,  stationed  themselves  along 
the  banks  of  the  river,  to  cut  off  the  forces  expected  from 
above.  Many  amusing  jokes  were  played  off  at  the 
expense  of  the  raw  recruits  during  this  campaign — such 
as  setting  an  empty  tar-barrel  on  fire,  and  placing  it  in  an 
old  boat  or  raft  of  logs,  to  float  by  in  the  darkness  of  the 
night.  The  sentries,  after  duly  hailing,  and  receiving  no 
answer,  would  fire  a  shot  to  enforce  their  command ;  but 
still  "  dread  silence  reigned,"  and  calmly  the  phantom 
vessel,  with  her  stolid  crew,  floated  onward  and  down 
ward  in  utter  recklessness.  Irritated  at  such  manifest 
contempt  of  their  high  authority,  they  plunged  into  the 
stream  to  seize  the  boat  and  capture  its  luckless  navi 
gators,  when  naught  appeared  but  the  remains  of  a  log 
and  a  barrel,  which  some  laughter-loving  wag  had 
freighted  for  their  mischance  and  his  amusement. 

On  another  occasion,  they  had  learned  that  Tyler  *  and 
his  men  had  passed  down  the  river  as  far  as  Blennerhas- 
sett's  island,  from  whence  he  was  expected  to  return,  to 
re- capture  the  boats  and  provisions.  To  cut  off  all  possi 
ble  communication  with  Marietta,  where  the  boats  were 

*  Comfort  Tyler  was  one  of  Burr's  principal  captains. 


158  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

tied,  particular  instructions  were  given,  in  the  evening, 
to  bring  away  all  the  water-craft  from  the  lower  side  of 
the  Muskingum.  Several  sailors,  who  boarded  on  the 
opposite  shore,  considered  the  opportunity  for  sport  too 
favorable  to  pass  unimproved.  The  plan  first  proposed 
for  the  accomplishment  of  this  end,  was  to  raise  an 
armed  party,  with  blank  cartridges,  and  fire  at  the  senti 
nels.  Upon  strict  search,  however,  they  found  that  all 
the  muskets,  blunderbusses,  rifles  and  shot-guns  had  been 
previously  appropriated  by  the  militia.  The  cannon  was 
then  thought  of,  when  this,  also,  it  was  ascertained,  had 
been  called  to  the  aid  of  the  State  authorities.  Determ 
ined  not  to  be  defeated,  in  the  laugh  they  had  promised 
themselves,  they  resorted  to  the  expedient  of  emptying  a 
half-keg  of  powder  into  a  canvas  sack,  wrapping  it  closely 
with  twine.  This  they  deposited  under  ground,  care 
being  taken  to  leave  a  communication  with  the  contents 
by  means  of  a  priming-hole  and  slow-match.  At  mid 
night,  when  all,  save  the  faithful  and  lonely  sentinels, 
were  enjoying  that  repose  so  necessary  to  the  refreshment 
of  the  wearied  soldier,  after  a  destructive  attack 

"  On  whisky  and  peach-brandy,"  * 

a  confused  and  foreboding  sound,  from  the  opposite 
shore,  grated  unmusically  on  the  ear  of  the  guards.  Al 
though  appearances  were  somewhat  ominous,  yet  they 
concluded  not  to  disturb  the  slumbers  of  their  brothers 
in  arms  until  a  more  satisfactory  demonstration  had  been 

*  See  Appendix. 


SLIGHTLY    SCARED.  159 

made.  For  this  opportunity  they  were  not  kept  long  in 
suspense.  Suddenly  the  earth  began  to  heave  and  throe, 
as  if  drunk  with  the  heel-taps  of  the  soldier's  glasses, 
and,  following  in  quick  succession,  a  report,  that  many 
mistook  for  the  summoning  trump  of  the  end  of  time. 
The  scene  which  succeeded  is  more  easily  imagined  than 
described.  Those  less  confused  did,  indeed-,  take  time  to 
adjust  their  outside  garments,  but  much  the  greater  num 
ber  started  with  nothing  but  their  nether  vestments, 
without  regard  to  uniform  or  military  parade.  Here 
stood  one,  vainly  struggling  to  thrust  his  feet  through 
the  arm-holes  and  sleeves  of  his  linsey  warmus,  while,  at 
his  side,  a  companion  had  drawn  his  pants  over  his 
shoulders,  illustrating,  most  ludicrously,  but  literally, 
the  lines  of  doggerel : 

"  Put  on  his  shirt  outside  his  coat, 
And  tied  his  breeches  round  his  throat. 

Shivering,  in  the  chill  winds  of  December,  they  "  hur 
ried  in  hot  haste  "  to  the  tanta-ran-ta  of  the  trumpeter, 
and  the  rub-a-dub-dub  of  the  "  drum-major-general." 
Whether  any  had  taken  the  precaution  to  "load"  or 
"prime"  is  a  question  which  time  and  reflection  have 
never  settled.  The  major,  who  was  a  tailor,  is  said  to 
have  charged  the  cannon  with  his  goose;  the  State  hav 
ing  made  no  provision  for  ammunition.  The  deputy,  as 
he  mounted  his  horse,  was  heard  to  say,  that,  "  as  great 
men  were  scarce,  he  thought  it  best  to  flee  from  danger." 
Had  Tyler  and  his  men  been  the  real  cause  of  their 
alarm,  he  would  doubtless  have  met  with  a  stern  re- 


160  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

sistance,  but,  fortunately  for  him,  he  was  unconsciously 
asleep  at  the  Island. 

To  Comfort  Tyler,  a  chief  assistant  from  New  York, 
had  been  committed  the  duties  of  purveyor.  It  was 
expected  that  he  would  procure  the  necessary  supplies  in 
Pittsburgh,  and  descending  the  Ohio,  join  Blennerhassett 
at  the  Island.-  For  want  of  means,  and  the  delay  of  sev 
eral  associates  who  had  appointed  to  meet  him  on  the 
Ohio,  he  was  detained  beyond  the  time  designated  for  his 
departure.  To  quiet  the  apprehension  which  his  absence 
had  occasioned,  and  in  answer  to  a  letter  which  had  been 
forwarded  from  Blennerhassett,  he  writes  as  follows  : 


PITTSBURGH,  Nov.  14^A,  1806. 

DEAR  SIR:  —  Your  favor,  by  Capt.  Elliot,  is  duly  re 
ceived,  for  which  I  thank  you.  My  calculations  have 
at  all  times  been  to  leave  Beaver  on  the  first  of  next 
month.  The  only  difficulty  that  I  have  to  encounter  is, 
the  procuring  the  provisions  necessary  for  my  settlers, 
some  of  whom  are  behind,  and  I  fear  they  will  not  arrive 
in  time  ;  but  I  shall  be  off  with  the  few  that  may  happen 
to  be  with  me,  and  trust  to  those  behind  txo  follow  on.  I 
shall  also  encourage  some  gentlemen  to  forward  on  flour, 
pork  and  whisky,  with  a  promise  that  they  may  have 
their  pay  for  them  on  the  way. 

I  have  been  unfortunate  in  having  means  furnished  me 
equal  to  fulfilling  contracts  that  might  have  been  made 
for  the  article  of  whisky,  in  a  particular  manner,  as  the 
merchan-ts  are  under  the  necessity  of  paying  ready  cash 
for  it  (they  can  not  procure  it  on  a  credit).  I  expected 


NO    SALE.  161 

Mr.  Thompson  or  a  Mr.  Hopkins  would  have  returned  to 
me  with  some  means,  to  enable  me  to  make  greater 
speed,  but  as  they  do  not  come,  must  suppose  they  have 
either  not  met  with  our  friend,  who  is  the  principal  agent 
in  the  purchases,  or  that  the  distance  has  been  too  far  for 
them  to  return  by  this  time.  I  think,  however,  that 
before  you  receive  this,  one  of  the  men  will  be  at  Mari 
etta,  on  their  way  to  me ;  but  be  assured,  that  no  time 
shall  be  lost  on  my  part  to  be  ready  and  on  my  way  by 
the  1st;  and  by  the  8th  of  the  month,  can,  of  course, 
be  with  you,  or,  at  farthest,  on  that  day.  I  shall,  how 
ever,  expect  instructions  through  you,  how  and  where  I 
am  to  call,  and  of  whom  I  may  expect  aid  in  any  case : 
not  being  acquainted  with  any  one,  after  I  leave  Beaver, 
I  shall  therefore  expect  some  person  to  look  for  me,  with 
your  letter  of  introduction  to  me,  with  directions  where 
I  am  to  call  on  you.  In  the  mean  time, 

Believe  me,  dear  sir,  your  faithful  friend, 

COMFORT  TYLER. 
H.  BLENNERHASSETT,  ESQ. 

On  Saturday  evening,  the  6th  of  December,  the  Hon. 
Charles  Fenton  Mercer,  in  the  course  of  his  journey  east 
of  the  mountains,  stopped  at  the  island,  with  the  view  of 
purchasing  this  "  most  elegant  seat  in  Virginia."  Finding, 
however,  that  Blennerhassett  estimated  it  at  fifty  thous 
and  dollars,  which  (he  remarked)  was  ten  thousand  less 
than  it  had  cost  him,  Mr.  Mercer  abandoned  the  idea  of 
purchasing ;  and  the  rest  of  his  time,  during  the  visit, 
was  spent  in  conversation  with  Blennerhassett  and  his 
11 


162  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS.  » 

accomplished  lady.  It  turned  upon  his  removal  to  the 
"  Washita  " — the  name  of  his  new  purchase.  With  great 
earnestness,  he  pressed  Mr.  Mercer  to  "become  a  partici 
pant;  suggesting  how  much  it  would  augment  his  for 
tune,  and  enforcing  the  inducement  by  an  assurance  that 
the  society  he  invited  him  to  join  would  soon  become  the 
most  agreeable  and  select  in  America.  He  spoke  of  Burr 
as  the  moral  head  of  it ;  and  when  Mr.  Mercer  expressed 
a  doubt  of  the  permanency  and  happiness  of  a  union 
formed  under  such  auspices,  and  dwelt  upon  such  traits 
of  Burr's  general  chai^acter  as  he  deemed  exceptionable, 
Blennerhassett  vindicated  him,  with  the  enthusiasm  of 
an  ardent  admirer. 

Blennerhassett  having  intended  to  visit  Marietta  on 
Sunday  evening,  Mr.  Mercer  proposed  accompanying 
him,  as  that  was  directly  on  his  route.  As  a  tribute  of 
merited  gratitude,  he  remarks,  that  he  left  the  mansion 
in  perfect  good  will  to  all  its  inhabitants;  regretting 
that  the  engagements  of  its  proprietor  and  his  own 
dreary  journey,  but  just  begun  in  the  commencement  of 
winter,  forbade  him  to  prolong  a  visit  which,  although  so 
transient,  had  afforded  him  so  much  pleasure.  All  that 
he  had  seen  or  heard  corresponded  so  little  with  the 
criminal  designs  imputed,  to  Blennerhassett,  that,  if  he 
could  have  visited  him  with  unfavorable  sentiments, 
they  would  have  vanished  before  the  light  of  a  species 
of  evidence  which,  if  not  reducible  to  the  strictest 
rules  of  legal  testimony,  had,  nevertheless,  a  potent  in 
fluence  ov*er  all  sensitive  hearts ;  and  which,  though  it 
doth  not  possess  the  formal  sanction  of  an  oath,  hath 


•  VINDICATION.  163 

often  in  it  a  great  deal  more  truth  than  statements  thus 
verified. 

"  What ! "  remarks  Mr.  Mercer,  "  will  a  man  who, 
weary  of  the  agitations  of  the  world,  of  its  noise  and 
vanity,  has  unambitiously  retired  to  a  solitary  island  in 
the  heart  of  a  desert,  and  created  a  terrestrial  paradise, 
the  very  flowers,  and  shrubs  and  vines  of  which  he  had 
planted  and  nurtured  with  his  own  hands  ;  a  man  whose 
soul  is  accustomed  to  toil  in  the  depths  of  literature ; 
whose  ear  is  framed  to  the  harmony  of  sound,  and  whose 
touch  and  breath  daily  awaken  it  from  a  variety  of  melo 
dious  instruments ;  will  such  a  man  start  up,  in  the  de 
cline  of  life,  from  the  pleasing  dream  of  seven  years' 
slumber,  to  carry  fire  and  sword  to  the  peaceful  habita 
tions  of  men  who  have  never  done  him  wrong?  Are  his 
musical  instruments  and  his  library  to  become  the  equi 
page  of  a  camp  ?  Will  he  expose  a  lovely  and  accom 
plished  woman,  and  two  little  children,  to  whom  he 
seems  so  tenderly  attached,  to  the  guilt  of  treason,  and 
to  the  horrors  of  war ;  a  treason  so  desperate  ? — <a  war  so 
unequal?  Were  not  all  his  preparations  better  adapted 
to  the  innocent  "and  useful  purpose  which  he  avowed, 
rather  than  to  the  criminal  and  hazardous  enterprise 
which  was  imputed  to  him?  Whence  arose  those  impu 
tations  ?  From  his  union  with  Col.  Burr.  But  it  is  evi 
dent  he  has  been  led  to  this  union  from  his  admiration 
of  the  genius,  and  confidence  in  the  virtue  and  honor,  of 
the  person  with  whom  it  lias  connected  him.  That 
which,  with  a  harsh-judging  world,  is  the  foundation  of 
a  belief  of  his  guilt,  when  thoroughly  and  candidly  ex- 


164  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

am  hied,  carries  on  its  face,  therefore,  the  stamp  of  his 
innocence." 

On  the  same  day  of  the  arrival  of  Mr.  Mercer  at  the 
Island,  also  landed  Comfort  Tyler,  with  his  hoats  and 
provisions,  and  a  small  party  of  men  under  his  com 
mand.  He  found  Blennerhassett  much  disheartened  as 
to  the  enterprise,  and  nearly  resolved  to  abandon  it 
altogether.  Through  the  persuasive  eloquence  of  his 
wife,  however,  who  had  now  enlisted  in  the  undertak 
ing  with  heroic  enthusiasm,  and  the  arrival  of  Tyler's 
men,  "  the  lord  of  the  isle,"  as  if  some  demon  of  evil 
haunted  his  footsteps,  and  urged  him  on  to  an  un 
known  destiny,  yielding  rather  to  the  wishes  of  others 
than  to  the  dictates  of  his  own  better  judgment,  again 
embarked  his  fortune  and  fame  in  the  enterprise  of 
Burr. 

The  boats  and  stores  at  Marietta  being  in  readiness  for 
embarkation,  orders  were  issued  to  the  guard  to  exercise 
the  utmost  vigilance  in  preventing  their  departure.  Sus 
picions  of  the  illegal  character  of  the  enterprise  became 
daily  more  confirmed.  Many  had  already  abandoned  it, 
while  others  hesitated  to  commit  their  fortunes  to  one 
whom  popular  prejudice  condemned,  and  to  whom  popu 
lar  rumor  had  attributed  such  alarming  designs.  Blen 
nerhassett  saw  that  the  storm  was  rapidly  gathering,  and 
to  delay  would  result  in  his  own  discomfiture  and  the 
defeat  of  the  expedition. 

On  the  evening  of  the  8th  of  December,  a  party  of 
young  men*  assembled  at  the  hospitable  fireside  of  a 
3elpr£  neighbor,  were  engaged  in  animated  conversation 


ON   THEIR   MUSCLE.  165 

on  the  subject  of  the  enterprise  before  them.  They  were 
jet  young,  but  ardent  and  daring,  and  joined  the  expe 
dition  from  the  love  of  adventure,  and  to  visit  foreign 
lands.  Above  all,  they  desired  to  realize  the  enchant 
ments  of  those  vast  and  far-off  savannas  which  fancy, 
bending  her  iris  of  many-colored  hues,  had  draped  in 
perpetual  verdure,  where  myriads  of  blossoms,  exhaling 
delicious  odors,  gemmed  the  variegated  landscape  with 
their  dazzling  sheen.  Reposing  in  the  honor  and  cour 
age  of  their  leaders,  they  determined  to  explore  that 
unknown  world  beyond,  heedless  alike  of  the  admo 
nition  of  friends,  and  the  perils  by  which  they  were 
surrounded. 

The  boats  at  the  mouth  of  the  Muskingum  were  in  the 
hands  of  the  authorities,  and  it  was  determined  to  bring 
them  away  by  a  coup  d'assail.  As  the  night  closed  in, 
the  young  men  ended  their  conference,  and  proceeded  in 
a  body  to  the  scene  of  operation.  This  was  their  first 
adventure,  and  became  intensely  exciting  from  its  nov 
elty.  The  route  lay  along  the  ravine  of  the  Ohio  for  a 
distance  of  about  twelve  miles.  The  road  being  nearly 
obscured  by  over-hanging  boughs,  the  surrounding  dark 
ness  afforded  effectual  protection  against  observation. 
Advancing  with  caution,  they  eluded  the  vigilance  of 
the  soldiers  until  they  approached  the  shores  of  the  Mus 
kingum.  As  they  proceeded  to  unfasten  the  boats,  the 
noise  attracted  the  attention  of  a  sentinel,  and  the  alarm 
was  given.  An  exciting  -engagement  ensued.  No  arms 
were  used,  their  efforts  being  wholly  directed  to  main 
taining  the  custody  of  the  boats  by  physical  force. 


166  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

Friend  and  foe  were  equally  undistinguishable.  The 
contest  for  a  time  seemed  doubtful,  as  the  middle  of 
the  stream  had  been  reached,  and  the  darkness  rendered 
pursuit  difficult.  At  length,  however,  they  were  all  re 
captured  by  the  authorities,  save  one,  which  with  its  crew 
was  safely  conducted  to  the  island,  and  the  young  men 
returned  to  their  homes,  greatly  amused  with  the  inci 
dents  of  their  first  engagement. 


BURR   IN    CYPHER.  16' 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

ON  the  29th  of  July,  1806,  Burr  had  dispatched,  from 
Philadelphia,  by  the  hands  of  Swartwout,  to  General 
Wilkinson,  the  following  communication  in  cypher : 

"  Your  letter,  postmarked  I3th  May,  is  received.  At 
length  I  have  obtained  funds,  and  have  actually  com 
menced.  The  eastern  detachments  from  different  points, 
and  under  different  pretenses,  will  rendezvous  on  the 
Ohio,  1st  of  November.  Every  thing  internal  and 
external  favors  our  views.  Naval  protection  of  Eng 
land  is  secured.  Truxton  is  going  to  Jamaica,*  to  arrange 
with  the  Admiral  on  that  station.  It  will  meet  us  at  the 
Mississippi.  England,  a  navy  of  the  United  States,  are 
ready  to  join,  and  final  orders  are  given  to  my  friends 
and  followers.  It  will  be  a  host  of  choice  spirits.  Wil 
kinson  shall  be  second  to  Burr  only,  and  Wilkinson  shall 
dictate  the  rank  and  promotion  of  his  officers.  BURR 
will  proceed  westward  1st  of  August,  never  to  return. 
With  him  go  his  daughter  and  grandson.  The  husband 
will  follow  in  October,  with  a  CORPS  of  worthies.  Send, 
forthwith,  an  intelligent  friend  with  whom  Burr  may 
confer.  He  shall  return  immediately  with  further  inter 
esting  details :  this  is  essential  to  harmony  and  concert 
of  movement.  Send  a  list  of  all  persons  known  to  Wil 
kinson  west  of  the  mountains,  who  could  be  useful,  with 


168  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

a  note  delineating  their  character.     By  your  messenger, 
send  me  four  or  five  of  the  commissions  of  your  officers, 
which  you  can  borrow  under  any  pretense  you  please. 
They  shall   be  retained   faithfully.     Already  are  orders 
given  to  the  contractor  to  forward  six  months'  provision 
to  points  Wilkinson  may  name ;  this  shall  not  be  used 
until  the  last  moment,  and  then  under  proper  injunc 
tions.     Our  project,  my  dear  friend,  is  brought  to  a  point 
so  long  desired.     Burr  guarantees  the  result  with  his  life 
and  honor,  with  the  lives,  and  honor,  and  the  fortunes 
of  hundreds,  the  best  blood  of  our  country.     Burr's  plan 
of  operation  is  to  move  down  rapidly,  from  the  falls,  on 
the  15th  of  November,  with  the  first  five  hundred  or  one 
thousand  men,  in  light  boats  now  constructing  for  that 
purpose,  to  be  at  Natchez  between  the  5th  and  15th  of 
December,  there  to  meet  you,  there  to  determine  whether 
it  will  be  expedient,  in  the  first  instance,  to  seize  on,  or 
pass  by,  Baton  Rouge.  ...  on  receipt  of  this,  send  Burr 
an  answer,  ....  draw  on  Burr  for  all  expenses,  etc. 
The  people  of  the  country  to  which  we  are  going  are 
prepared  to  receive  us ;  their  agents,  now  with  Burr,  say 
that  if  we  will  protect  their  religion,  and  will  not  subject 
them  to  a  foreign  power,  that,  in  three  weeks,  all  will  be 
settled.     The  gods   invite   us  to  glory  and  fortune;   it 
remains  to  be  seen  whether  we  deserve  the  boon.     The 
bearer   of  this   goes   express   to   you;    he   will   hand   a 
formal  letter  of  introduction  to  you,  from   Burr ;   he  is 
a  man  of  inviolable  honor  and  perfect  discretion,  formed 
to  execute  rather  than  project,  capable  of  relating  facts 
with  fidelity,  and  incapable  of  relating  them  otherwise. 
He  is  thoroughly  informed  of  the  plans  and  intentions 


THE    PLOT    PROSPERING.  169 

of ,  and  will  disclose  to  you,  as  far  as  you  inquire, 

and  no  further ;  lie  has  imhibed  a  reverence  for  your 
character,  and  may  be  embarrassed  in  your  presence; 
put  him  at  ease,  and  he  will  satisfy  you."  * 

The  mystery  in  which  it  was  ever  the  delight  of  Burr 
to  enshroud  himself — the  secrecy  with  which  he  had  thus 
far  conducted  his  plans,  revealing  them  but  vaguely, 
even  to  those  who  from  their  position  and  aid  were 
entitled  to  his  confidence — forbids  the  conclusion  that 
Wilkinson  had  remained  unadvised  of  his  designs  or 
uncommitted  to  his  enterprise.  After  the  perusal  of 
Burr's  letter,  to  believe  otherwise  would  be  to  charge 
him  with  madness,  and  of  this  he  was  never  accused. 
Wilkinson  was  known  to  be  friendly  to  Burr.  He  had 
held  secret  conferences  with  him,  at  the  seat  of  govern 
ment,  only  the  Spring  before,  and  that,  too,  after  Burr's 
return  from  the  western  country,  and  while  actively 
engaged  in  organizing  his  schemes.  When  on  the  Ohio, 
the  closest  intimacy  had  existed  between  them.  Wilkin 
son  had  freely  imparted  information  of  the  country,  and 
acquainted  him  with  the  dispositions  of  the  leading 
inhabitants  ;  had  furnished  him  with  letters  of  introduc 
tion  to  his  friends,  and  supplied  him  with  facilities  for 
travel.  On  the  28th  of  May,  1805,  he  had  written  to 
General  Adair,  from  the  falls  of  the  Ohio :  "  I  was  to 
have  introduced  my  friend  Burr  to  you,  but  in  this  I 
failed  by  accident.  He  understands  your  merits,  and 


*  The  words  in  italics  were  stricken  out,  and,  in  some  instances,  sup 
plied  by  others,  in  the  copy  which  was  presented  to  the  Legislature  of 
Louisiana  by  General  Wilkinson.  His  reason  for  the  alteration  being  to 
divert  public  suspicion  from  himself  as  being  connected  with  Burr. 


170  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

reckons  on  you.     Prepare  to  visit  me,  and  I  will  tell  you 
all.     We  must  have  a   peep   into   the   unknown  world 
beyond  me.*     On  the  9th  of  June,  in  the  same  year,  he 
writes   Daniel  Clark,  of  New  Orleans :    "  This  will   he 
delivered  you  by  Col.  Burr,  whose  worth  you  know  well 
how  to   estimate.     If  the  persecutions  of   a   great  and 
honorable  man  can  give  title  to  generous  attentions,  he 
has  claims  to  all  your  services.     You  can  not  oblige  me 
more  than  by  such  conduct,  and  I  pledge  my  life  to  you 
it  will  not  be  misapplied.     To  him  I  refer  you  for  many 
things  improper  to  utter,  and  which  he  will  not  say  to 
any  other."  f     Only  on  the  16th  of  July,  but  thirteen 
days  previous  to  the  cypher  letter,  General  Dayton,  of 
Ohio,  had  written  him  :  "  Your  present  is  more  favorable 
than  your  late  position,  and  as  you  can  retain  it  without 
suspicion  or  alarm,  you  ought,  by  no  means,  to  return 
from  it,  until  your  friends  join  you  in  December,  some 
where  on  the  river  Mississippi.     Under  the  auspices  of 
Burr  and  Wilkinson  I  shall  be  happy  to  engage,  and 
when  the  time  arrives,  you  will  find  me  near  you.    Write 
and  inform  me,  by  first  mail,  what  may  be  expected  from 
you   and   your    associates.      In   an   enterprise   of    such 
moment,  considerations,  even  stronger  than  those  of  affec 
tion,  impel  me  to  desire  your  cordial   co-operation   and 
active  support.     Wealth  and  honor,  courage  and  union, 
Burr  and  Wilkinson  !     Adieu."     Again,  on  the  25th  day 
of  July,  but  five  days  before  the  date  of  the  cypher  let 
ter,  Dayton  writes :  "  It  is  well  ascertained  that  you  are 


*  Clark's  Proofs  against  Wilkinson,  p.  158. 
t  Clark's  Proofs  against  Wilkinson,  p.  119. 


BURR'S  DESIGNS.  171 

to  be  displaced  at  the  next  session.  Jefferson  will  affect 
to  yield  reluctantly  to  the  public  sentiment,  but  yield  he 
will;  prepare  yourself,  therefore,  for  it;  you  know  the 
rest.  You  are  not  a  man  to  despair,  or  even  disposed, 
especially  when  such  prospects  offer  in  another  quarter. 
Are  you  ready  ?  Wealth  and  Glory !  Louisiana  and 
Mexico  ! "  * 

Again,  it  was  charged  that  Burr's  designs  were  inim 
ical  to  the  United  States ;  that  his  plan  comprehended  a 
dismemberment  of  the  western  country ;  that  he  was  to 
seize  on  New  Orleans,  and  revolutionize  the  Territory ; 
that,  crossing  the  gulf,  he  was  to  land  at  Yera  Cruz, 
march  to  the  city  of  Mexico,  and  establish  a  mighty 
empire,  extending  from  the  Apalachian  Mountains  to 
the  borders  of  the  Pacific,  of  which  he  himself  was  to 
be  the  chief.  Several  millions  of  dollars  were  reported 
on  deposit  in  the  banks  at  New  Orleans,  which,  with  a 
feigned  regard  to  the  rights  of  private  property,  he  de 
signed  appropriating,  with  the  hope  of  returning  it  when 
time  and  circumstances  should  render  it  convenient. 
Burr  himself  informs  Wilkinson,  that  he  will  meet  him 
at  Natchez,  "  there  to  determine  whether  it  will  be 
expedient  to  seize  on,  or  pass  by,  Baton  Rouge."  And, 
referring  to  Swartwout,  he  adds :  "  The  bearer  of  this 
goes  express  to  you  from  Burr ;  he  is  a  man  of  inviolable 
honor,  and  perfect  discretion ;  capable  of  relating  facts 
with  fidelity,  and  incapable  of  relating  them  otherwise. 


*  Clark's  Proofs  against  Wilkinson,  p.  158.  This  letter  was  also  in 
cypher,  being  the  same  character  used  in  the  correspondence  between 
Burr  and  Wilkinson. 


172  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

He  is  thoroughly  informed  of  the  plans  and  intentions 
of  Burr,  and  will  disclose  to  you  so  far  as  you  inquire, 
and  no  further." 

Wilkinson  was  commander-in-chief  of  the  army  of 
the  United  States,  and  Governor  of  JSTatchitoches.  His 
whole  force  was  in  active  service,  thoroughly  disci 
plined  and  drilled.  Obeying  the  dictates  of  honor,  as  a 
soldier,  if  not  prompted  by  the  impulses  of  a  patriot, 
he  was  bound  by  every  consideration  of  duty  to  arrest 
the  progress  of  the  scheme.  Of  all  others,  therefore,  he 
was  the  most  to  be  feared,  and  the  most  to  be  avoided  by 
Burr.  Yet  while  his  plans  are  but  partially  revealed  to 
his  acknowledged  confederates,  while  he  diligently  en 
deavors  to  elude  the  suspicions  of  his  enemies,  Burr  suf 
fers  no  opportunity  to  escape,  without  fully  informing 
him  of  his  designs,  and  asking  his  advice  upon  questions 
of  doubtful  expediency.  To  regard  Wilkinson,  there 
fore,  in  any  other  light  than  a  chief  accomplice,  after  the 
perusal  of  the  cypher  letter,  would  render  the  act  of 
writing  it  the  sheerest  folly  imaginable. 

But  Burr  was  the  victim  of  a  misplaced  confidence. 
Wilkinson,  through  considerations  of  a  personal  charac 
ter,  fully  to  be  explained  in  a  subsequent  chapter,  revealed 
the  plan  and  fastened  the  treason  upon  Burr.  On  the 
21st  of  October,  he  communicated  the  substance  of  the 
cypher  letter  to  Mr.  Jefferson,  then  President  of  the 
United  States,  who,  on  the  27th  of  November,  issued  his 
proclamation,  warning  and  enjoining  those  who  had  been 
led  to  participate  in  the  unlawful  enterprise  to  withdraw 
without  delay,  and  requiring  all  officers,  civil  and  mili 
tary,  of  the  United  States,  or  any  one  of  the  States  or 


ON   THE    QUI   VIVE.  173 

Territories,  to  be  vigilant,  each  with  in  his  respective 
department,  in  searching  out  and  bringing  to  punishment 
all  persons  engaged  or  concerned  in  the  undertaking. 

Under  the  authority,  and  by  virtue  of  this  proclama 
tion,  the  Virginia  militia,  of  Wood  county,  were  called 
out,  by  command  of  Col.  Hugh  Phelps,  of  Parkersburg, 
as  soon  as  he  had  received  the  intelligence,  which  was 
not  until  the  8th  or  9th  of  December. 

On  the  10th  of  the  month,  Blennerhassett,  having 
received  information  of  the  preparations  making  by 
Col.  Phelps,  who,  it  was  expected,  would  march  to  the 
island  on  the  following  day,  to  take  possession  of  his 
person,  boats  and  stores,  became  much  alarmed. 

Having  advised  with  his  followers  as  to  the  propriety 
of  remaining  longer  under  these  threatening  circum 
stances,  it  was  determined  that  further  delay  would  be 
perilous  to  the  enterprise.  Orders  were  accordingly 
issued  to  have  every  thing  in  immediate  readiness  to 
precipitate  their  departure  before  the  dawn. 

The  island  soon  became  the  scene  of  busy  preparation. 
It  was  night,  and  innumerable  lights  flitted  back  and  forth 
along  the  walks,  and  up  and  down  the  river.  Voices  in 
suppressed  tones  were  heard  uttering  the  words  of  com-, 
mand,  while  the  muffled  oars  of  the  boatmen  scarcely  rip 
pled  the  stream.  The  kitchen  fire  of  the  mansion  reflected 
the  shadowy  outlines  of  bending  forms,  hurriedly  engaged 
in  running  balls  and  folding  cartridges.  No  longer  the 
halls  echoed  the  peal  of  merriment.  No  longer  was  heard 
the  boisterous  laugH,  the  piquant  jest,  and  song  of  revelry. 
No  longer  the  music  of  the  violin  inspired  the  dance.  A 
now  zeal  had  animated  them  ;  the  hour  for  action  had  ar- 


174  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

rived ;  and,  as  the  curtain  lifted  on  the  scene,  each  man 
assumed  his  rol£  in  this  grand,  imposing  drama.  Such 
was  the  celerity  with  which  the  stores  were  transported  to 
the  boats,  that,  long  before  midnight,  nothing  remained 
to  delay  the  embarkation  of  the  new  commander  and  his 
eager  followers. 

But,  of  all  that  busy  crowd,  none  were  more  active  than 
Mrs.  Blennerhassett.  An  inspired  enthusiasm  had  seized 
upon  her,  and  urged  her  forward  to  wonderful  effort.  She 
seemed  indeed  the  ruling  spirit  of  the  occasion.  As  her 
sylph-like  form  glided  gracefully  through  the  various 
apartments,  from  kitchen  to  hall,  and  from  parlor  to 
chamber,  tarrying  a  moment  to  direct  a  servant,  or  deliver 
a  message  from  her  husband,  many  paused  from  their  oc 
cupations,  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  the  heroine  of  the  expe 
dition,  and  stood  in  wrapt  admiration  of  her  grace  and 
energy.  With  her,  the  die  had  been  cast,  and  on  it  de 
pended  her  happiness  or  her  ruin.  To  retreat,  even  if  re 
treat  were  possible,  involved  the  loss  of  property,  of  social 
relation,  and,  above-  all,  her  own  proud  self-respect,  which 
never  yet  had  yielded  to  the  temptations  of  fortune  or  the 
maledictions  of  envy.  "  Onward !  onward !  "  she  urged 
to  the  hesitating  and  doubting  husband.  "To  the  pla 
teaux  of  the  sunny  South ;  to  the  land  of  perennial  ver 
dure,  where  grow  the  citron  and  the  olive,  the  orange  and 
the  pine  apple ;  to  the  land  of  gold ;  to  the  Imperial  City, 
the  gay,  the  61ite,  the  dazzling  empire  of  the  new  world." 
The  prize  was  indeed  a  tempting  one.  But  eight  years 
previous,  they  had  left  the  shores  of  England,  as  adven 
turers  in  the  forests  of  the  Western  world ;  they  were  now 
soon  to  return,  not  as  private  personages,  but  to  the  Court 


THE    ESCAPADE.  ll^> 

of  St.  James — Blennerhassett  as  the  proud  representative 
of  that  giant  empire,  sweeping  in  its  mighty  circumfer 
ence  over  half  of  the  continent,  with  its  millions  of  sub 
jects,  and  she  as  the  heroine  of  the  conquest,  and  the 
partner  of  his  triumphs.  "  Go,"  she  urged,  "  before  the 
minions  of  the  Government  are  upon  you.  Wait  not  for 
me  and  the  children ;  they  dare  not  molest  the  mother  and 
her  innocents.  We  shall  follow  at  a  more  opportune  sea 
son,  and  meet  again  beyond  the  powers  which  pursue." 

Calling  her  maids  to  her  assistance,  she  busied  herself 
in  arranging  such  articles  of  clothing  as  might  be  needed 
by  her  husband  before  she  could  reach  him,  at  the  com 
pletion  of  which  nothing  was  found  neglected  which  could 
contribute  to  his  health  or  administer  to  his  comfort. 

As  the  last  trunk  left  the  hall,  the  clock  announced  the 
hour  of  midnight — the  eventful  moment  of  departure. 
Blennerhassett,  issuing  from  his  chamber,  ordered  all 
hands  to  the  river.  Drawing  her  robes  about  her,  his  wife 
placed  her  arm  through  his,  and  both  proceeded  to  the 
boats  in  close  consultation.  A  deep  -snow  lay  upon  the 
ground.  The  winds,  sweeping  the  long  reaches  of  the 
river,  sighed  among  the  leafless  branches.  It  was  pene 
tratingly  cold.  On  the  beach,  near  the  stream,  a  large  fire 
curled  its  flames  into  the  air,  dissipating  the  immediate 
darkness,  and  painting  spectral  forms  against  the  curtain 
of  night  still  further  beyond.  Encircling  this,  Blenner 
hassett  and  his  companions  held  secret  council  preparatory 
to  their  final  departure.  Not  the  least  among  these  was 
his  anxious  and  hopeful  wife.  To  elude  pursuit  and  pass 
Gallipolis  in  safety  was  the  subject  under  immediate  dis 
cussion.  Nahum  Bent  was  called  forward  and  inquired  of, 


176  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

whether  he  could  not  furnish  horses  for  Tyler  and  Blen 
nerhassett,  and,  crossing  the  country  by  land,  meet  them 
Somewhere  in  the  vicinity  of  that  place,  that  the  two  might 
thence  proceed  through  Ohio  and  Kentucky,  to  the  mouth 
of  the  Cumberland.  But  Bent  had  but  one  horse,  though 
he  thought  another  could  be  procured  from  a  Belpr£ 
friend.  He  was  directed  by  Blennerhassett  to  visit  Cap 
tain  Dana,  and  request  the  purchase  or  loan  of  one,  and 
meet  him  above  Gallipolis,  where  himself  and  Tyler  would 
leave  the  boats,  and,  passing  around  the  town,  intercept 
them  at  a  point  below. 

Mrs.  Blennerhassett  suggested  that  less  inconvenience 
would  be  occasioned  by  taking  a  canoe,  which  lay  adja 
cent,  and  on  their  approach  to  the  town,  the  two  should 
leave  the  boats,  and  floating  leisurely  by  in  an  open  vessel, 
used  only  for  short  voyages,  would  awaken  no  suspicion 
on  the  part  of  those  who  had  been  set  to  watch.  As 
Blennerhassett  was  proceeding  to  give  further  directions, 
the  company  were  suddenly  startled  by  the  abrupt  intru 
sion  of  an  officer,  who,  attracted  by  the  light,  had  been 
watching  their  movements  during  the  night.  Stepping 
forward  to  Blennerhassett,  he  clapped  his  hand  upon  his 
shoulder  and  exclaimed : 

"  I  arrest  you,  Harman  Blennerhassett,  in  the  name  and 
by  the  authority  of  the  State  of  Ohio  ! " 

Instantly  the  muzzles  of  seven  or  eight  muskets  were 
leveled  at  the  intruder's  breast,  and  the  sharp  click  of  their 
locks  sent  a  thrill  of  indescribable  sensation  through  every 
nerve.  Apprehending  fully  the  danger  of  his  situation, 
General  Tapper,  as  they  now  distinguished  him  to  be, 
out : 


COL.    PHELPS.  177 

"  Forbear,  men  !    Forbear !    Would  you  act  so  rashly  ?  " 

"  By  the  gods !  "  exclaimed  one,  "  we  will  protect  our 
selves,  at  all  hazards,  from  an  arrest.  If  in  doing  so  it 
should  become  necessary  to  use  our  arms,  we  shall  not 
hesitate  to  shoot,  not  only  you,"  he  added,  "  but  all 
others  who  may  interfere." 

The  General,  finding  resistance  had  been  determined 
on,  and  that  his  own  person  was  in  imminent  peril, 
endeavored  to  persuade  Blennerhassett  to  reconsider  his 
resolution  of  departure,  surrender  himself  to  the  Govern 
ment,  and  stand  his  trial,  assuring  him  that  it  would 
satisfy  the  public  indignation  and  curiosity,  and  result  in 
no  particular  inconvenience  to  himself. 

Finding,  however,  that  he  was  deaf  to  entreaty,  and 
was  fully  resolved  and  settled  in  his  purpose,  Tupper 
bade  him  and  the  party  adieu,  and  wished  them  a  safe 
escape  down  the  river,  and  a  fortunate  adventure. 

The  conference  thus  abruptly  ended,  Blennerhassett, 
bidding  his  wife  an  affectionate  farewell,  with  directions 
to  follow  as  soon  as  her  convenience  would  permit,  em 
barked  on  board,  and  unmooring  the  boats,  floated  down 
the  stream.* 

In  thus  abandoning  the  partner  of  his  bosom,  with  her 
helpless  and  defenseless  household,  Blennerhassett  had 
not  mistaken  the  character  of  the  individual  who,  he 
rightly  presumed,  was  soon  to  take  charge  of  his  man 
sion.  From  intimate  association  with  the  man,  he  knew 
that  innocence  and  feebleness  would  ever  be  sacredly 
regarded  by  Col.  Phelps  ;  that,  while  duty  to  the  calls 


*  Albright's  Evidence  on  the  Trial  of  Burr. 

12 


178  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

of  his  country  compelled  him  to  exercise  the  functions 
of  his  office,  and  that,  too,  in  defeating  the  plans  of  his 
most  intimate  friend  and  associate,  that  power  would  he 
exerted  with  the  strictest  adherence  to  the  laws  of  hu 
manity  and  the  highest  sentiments  of  honor  ;  that  while 
no  menaces  would  deter  him  from  the  disagreeable  duty 
imposed,  no  act  of  wanton  violence  should  stain  the 
honor  of  the  friend. 

On  the  succeeding  morning,  Col.  Phelps,  with  a  small 
hody  of  men,  proceeded  to  the  island.  They  found  it 
deserted  "by  its  proprietor.  Inquiries  were  made  among 
the  servants,  who  informed  them  of  the  circumstances 
of  the  preceding  evening ;  adding,  that  Mrs.  Blennerhas- 
sett  was  then  on  her  way  to  Marietta,  to  secure,  if  possi 
ble,  the  boat  originally  intended  for  the  conveyance  of 
Blennerhassett  and  his  family  to  the  Washita. 

Leaving  the  greater  portion  of  his  men  in  possession 
of  the  premises,  Col.  Phelps  started  across  the  country  to 
intercept  the  descending  boats,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Great 
Kanawha.  None  having  passed,  during  the  previous  day, 
answering  to  the  description  of  thos-e  of  which  he  was 
in  pursuit,  Col.  Phelps  informed  the  citizens  of  his  de 
signs,  and  procured  a  party  to  watch  the  river  that 
night.  Accordingly,  a  large  fire  was  built  upon  the  bank, 
around  which  the  watch  attempted  to  k^ep  their  mid 
night  vigils.  Following  that  ancient  custom  of  "keep 
ing  the  spirits  up  by  pouring  spirits  down  " — like  the 
model  "  officer,"  who  was  enamored  of  the  ".landlady  of 
France  " — they  soon  became  oblivious  to  military  duty, 
and  reckless  of  the  consequences  to  result  from  their  in 
attention.  Taking  advantage  of  the  darkness  of  the 


ALL    AFLOAT.  179 

night,  Blennerhassett  glided  silently  by,  without  disturb 
ing  the  slumbers  of  the  guard,  and,  before  the  early 
dawn,  was  many  miles  beyond  his  discomfited  pursuers. 
At  the  mouth  of  the  Cumberland,  he  joined  the  flotilla 
of  Burr,  which  was  then  awaiting  accessions  both  from 
that  river  and  the  Ohio. 

Not  apprised,  until  late,  that  boats  were  being  con 
structed  on  the  Cumberland,  the  effect  of  the  President's 
proclamation  had  been  trusted  to,  for  some  time,  in  the 
State  of  Tennessee ;  but,  on  the  19th  of  December,  simi 
lar  communications  and  instructions  with  those  of  the 
neighboring  States,  were  dispatched,  by  express,  to  the 
Governor,  and  a  general  officer  of  the  western  division 
of  the  State  ;  and,  on  the  23d,  Graham,  the  agent,  left 
Frankfort  for  Nashville,  to  put  into  activity  the  means 
of  that  State  also.  Burr,  however,  had  been  too  prompt 
in  his  movements  for  the  agents  of  the  Government. 
On  the  22d  of  the  same  month,  he  had  descended  the 
Cumberland,  with  two  boats  laden  with  provision  and  a 
few  additional  forces. 

The  Governor  of  Kentucky,  after  the  arrest  and  dis 
charge  of  Burr,  hearing  of  his  arrival  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Cumberland,  with  a  flotilla  of  numerous  vessels,  and  that 
he  was  there  congregating  his  forces,  ordered  out  the 
militia  for  hfs  arrest;  but  Burr,  anticipating  the  move 
ment,  slipped  his  moorings  and  proceeded  on. 

The  flotilla  now  consisted  of  four  boats  under  command 
of  Tyler,  two  under  Burr,  two  under  Floyd,  one  under 
Ellis,  one  under  Blennerhassett,  and  a  commissary  boat 
under  Dean. 

On  the  evening  of  the  twenty-ninth,  Burr  stopped  a 


180  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

short  distance  below  Fort  Massac,  then  under  the  com 
mand  of  Capt.  Bissell.  The  following  morning,  he  was 
visited  by  that  officer,  who  gave  him  a  polite  invitation  to 
visit  the  fort  and  partake  of  its  hospitalities.  It  is  due  to 
Capt.  Bissell  to  state,  (although  the  evidence  on  this  point 
is  conflicting,)  that  he  was,  at  that  time,  without  any  in 
structions  from  the  Government.  He  remarks,  that  he 
had  learned,  unofficially,  of  Burr's  arrest  and  acquittal  in 
Kentucky ;  hence,  he  concluded,  that  his  mission  was  one 
of  peace,  and  for  the  purpose,  ostensibly  held  out,  "  of 
colonizing  the  Bastrop  lands."  He  furnished  Burr  with  a 
messenger,  to  convey  a  communication  to  the  lead  mines 
in  Missouri,  as  well  as  one  or  two  men  for  his  enterprise, 
and  a  small  quantity  of  provision ;  the  latter,  however, 
Bissell  asserts,  was  sent  by  his  wife,  who  was  an  early 
acquaintance  of  Burr,  and  who  returned  it,  in  compliment 
for  a  barrel  of  apples  which  Burr  had  forwarded  to  her. 

On  the  evening  of  the  third  of  January,  1807,  Burr, 
with  one  boat,  landed  at  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  a  military  sta 
tion  at  that  time  commanded  by  Lieut.  Jacob  Jackson. 
He  immediately  dispatched  a  messenger  to  the  commander 
of  the  fort,  to  inquire  if  quarters  could  be  furnished  him 
during  the  night,  who  shortly  returned  with  an  affirmative 
answer.  The  following  morning,  he  had  an  interview 
with  Jackson,  on  the  subject  of  the  expedition,  in  which 
he  stated  that  he  was  going  on  a  project  of  which  many 
wished  to  know,  but,  from  their  inquisitiveness,  he  was 
not  disposed  to  gratify  them,  but  assured  him  that  it  was 
an  enterprise  which  would  be  honorable  to  him,  Jackson, 
and  would  be  the  making  of  those  who  should  follow 
him,  provided  they  survived  the  undertaking.  Every  ar- 


181 

gument  was  resorted  to,  to  shake  the  fidelity  of  that 
young  officer,  to  his  country,  and  prevail  on  him  to  join 
the  expedition,  with  the  whole  of  the  forces  under  his 
command.  To  the  ardent  and  enthusiastic  mind  of  youth, 
panting  for  scenes  of  glory  and  distinction,  his  offers  of 
fame  and  emolument  were  truly  tempting ;  particularly  as 
they  were  enforced  hy  the  sophistical  reasoning  of  that 
astute  and  experienced  diplomatist.  But,  to  his  honor, 
and  to  the  honor  of  American  youths,  particularly  Ameri 
can  officers,  he  foiled  the  attempts  of  the  seducer,  and 
came  off  moral  victor  in  the  attack.  While  in  the  service 
of  his  country,  no  offer  of  wealth,  or  place,  or  power, 
could  decoy  him  from  the  path  of  rectitude.  The  Govern 
ment  had  confided  the  command  of  that  fort  to  his 
youthful  hands,  and  so  long  as  he  retained  that  trust,  his 
best  energies  should  be  exerted  to  preserve  it  with  fidelity 
and  honor. 

On  the  3d  of  January,  1807,  the  President  dispatched 
the  following  communication  to  Gen.  Wilkinson : — "  I 
had  yesterday  intended  to  recommend,  to  Gen.  Dearborn, 
the  writing  to  you  weekly,  by  post,  to  convey  informa 
tion  of  our  affairs  in  the  West,  as  long  as  they  are  inter 
esting  ;  because  it  is  possible,  though  not  probable,  you 
might  sometimes  get  the  information  quicker  this  way 
than  down  the  river ;  but  the  General  received,  yesterday, 
information  of  the  death  of  his  son  in  the  East  Indies, 
and,  of  course,  can  not  now  attend  to  business.  I,  there 
fore,  write  you  a  hasty  line,  for  the  present  week,  and 
eend  it  in  duplicate  by  the  Athens  and  Nashville  route. 

"  The  information  in  the  inclosed  paper,  as  to  the  pro 
ceedings  in  the  State  of  Ohio,  is  correct  Blennerhassett's 


182  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

flotilla,  of  fifteen  boats  and  two  hundred  barrels  of 
provisions,  is  seized,  and  there  can  be  no  doubt  that 
Tyler's  flotilla  is  also  taken ;  because,  on  the  17th  of  De 
cember,  we  know  there  was  a  sufficient  force  assembled 
at  Cincinnati  to  intercept  it  there,  and  another  party  was 
in  pursuit  of  it  on  the  river  above.  We  are  assured  that 
these  two  flotillas  composed  the  whole  of  the  boats  pro 
vided.  Blennerhassett  and  Tyler  had  fled  down  the 
river.  I  do  not  believe  that  the  number  of  persons  en 
gaged  for  Burr  has  ever  amounted  to  five  hundred ; 
though  some  have  carried  them  to  one  thousand  or 
fifteen  hundred.  A  part  of  these  were  engaged  as  set 
tlers  of  Bastrop's  land,  but  the  greater  part  were  engaged 
under  the  express  assurance  that  the  projected  enterprise 
was  against  Mexico,  and  secretly  authorized  by  this  Gov 
ernment.  Many  expressly  enlisted  in  the  name  of  the 
United  States.  The  proclamation,  which  reached  Pitts 
burgh,  December  2d,  and  other  parts  of  the  river  suc 
cessively,  undeceived  both  these  classes,  and,  of  course, 
drew  them  off;  and  I  have  never  seen  any  proof  of  their 
having  assembled  more  than  forty  men,  in  two  boats, 
from  Beaver,  fifty  in  Tyler's  flotilla,  and  the  boatmen  of 
Blennerhassett.  I  believe,  therefore,  that  the  enterprise 
may  be  considered  as  crushed ;  but  we  are  not  to  relax  in 
our  attentions  until  we  hear  what  has  passed  at  Louis 
ville.  If  every  thing,  from  that  place  upward,  be  suc 
cessfully  arrested,  there  is  nothing  from  below  that  [is] 
to  be  feared.  Be  assured  that  Tennessee,  and  particu 
larly  General  Jackson,  is  faithful.  The  orders  lodged 
at  Massac  and  the  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  will  probably  secure 
the  interception  of  such  fugitives  from  justice  as  may 


PRECAUTION.  183 

escape  at  Louisville  ;  so  that  I  think  you  will  never  see 
one  of  them.     Still,  I  would  not  wish,  till  we  hear  from 
Louisville,  that  this  information  should  relax  your  prepa 
rations  in  the  least,  except  as  far  as  to  dispense  with  the 
militia  of  Mississippi  and  Orleans,  leaving  their  homes, 
under  our  orders  of  November  25th.     Only  let  them  con 
sider  themselves  under  requisition  ;  and  be  in  a>  state  of 
readiness,  should  any  force,  too  great  for  your  regulars, 
escape  down  the  river.     You  will  have  been  sensible  that 
those  orders  were  given  while  we   supposed   yo,u  were 
on  the  Sabine,  and  the  supposed   crisis   did   not   admit 
the   formality  of  their  being  passed  by  you.     We  con 
sidered  Fort  Adams  as  the  place  to  make  a  stand,  be 
cause  it  covered  the   mouth  of  Red  river.      You   have 
preferred  New  Orleans,  on   the  apprehension  of  a  fleet 
from  the   West  Indies.     Be   assured,  there  is   not   any 
foundation  for  such  an  expectation,  but  the  lying  exag 
gerations  of  these  traitors  to  impose  on  others  and  swell 
their    pretended    means.      The   very   man   whom    they 
reported    to    you   as   having    gone   to    Jamaica   and  to 
bring   the   fleet,  has    never   been   from   home,  and   has 
regularly  communicated  to  me  every  thing  which  had 
passed  between  Burr  and  him.     France  or  Spain  would 
not  send  a  fleet  to  take  Yera    Cruz ;    and,  though   one 
of  the  expeditions,  now  near  arriving  from  England,  is 
probably  for  Yera  Cruz,  and  perhaps  already  there,  yet 
the    state  of  things   between   us   renders    it    impossible 
they  should  countenance  an  enterprise  unauthorized  by 
us.     Still,  I  repeat,  that  these  grounds  of  security  must 
not  stop  our  proceedings  or  preparations  until  they  are 
further  confirmed.      Go  on,  therefore,  with  your  works 


184  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

for  the  defense  of  New  Orleans,  because  they  will  always 
be  useful,  only  looking  to  what  should  be  permanent 
rather  than  means  merely  temporary.  You  may  expect 
further  information  as  we  receive  it;  and,  though  I 
expect  it  will  be  such  as  will  place  us  at  our  ease,  yet 
we  must  not  place  ourselves  so,  until  we  be  certain,  but 
act  on  the  possibility  that  the  resources  of  our  enemy 
may  be  greater  and  deeper  than  we  are  yet  informed. 

"  Your  two  confidential  messengers  delivered  their 
charges  safely.  One  arrived  yesterday  only,  with  your 
letter  of  November  12th.  The  oral  communications  he 
made  me  are  truly  important.  I  beseech  you,  take  the 
most  special  care  of  the  two  letters  which  he  mentioned 
to  me — the  one  in  cypher,  the  other  from  another  con 
spirator  of  high  standing — and  send  them  to  me  by  the 
first  conveyance  you  can  trust.  It  is  necessary  that  all 
important  testimony  should  be  brought  to  one  center,  in 
order  that  the  guilty  may  be  convicted  and  the  innocent 
left  untroubled." 

On  the  5th  of  January,  having  supplied  himself  with 
thirty  pounds  of  lead  and  three  dozen  tomahawks,  to 
gether  with  other  articles,  Burr  proceeded  down  to 
Palmyra,  and  thence  to  Bayou  Pierre. 

NOTE. — THE  FOLLOWING  is  A  JOURNAL  OF  BLENNERHASSETT'S  VOYAGE 
DOWN  THE  RIVER: 

16th  December. — Tuesday,  we  left  Jeffersonville ;  crossed  the  falls; 
nothing  extra;  all  our  boats  crossed  safe. 

ITih. — Pursued  our  journey  at  twelve  o'clock  at  night ;  landed  at  Salt 
river ;  took  in  seven  hands ;  stopped  some  time ;  and  started  again  at  four 
o'clock  in  the  morning.  About  ten  o'clock,  A.  M.,  parted  with  Colonel 
Tyler,  and  four  keel-boats  left  us.  We  had  a  very  bad  night,  occasioned 
by  heavy  rain,  which  continued  until  morning. 


VOYAGE   DOWN.  185 

18th. — Nothing  remarkable;  passed  Anderson's  river  at  thirty-five  min 
utes  past  two  o'clock,  A.  M. ;  passed  one  of  the  keel-boats  at  twelve  o'clock 
at  night. 

19/A. — Passed  French  Island  at  half-past  nine,  A.  M. ;  passed  Green  river 
at  half-past  eleven,  A.  M.  About  one,  P.  M.,  had  some  trouble  about  a  canoe, 
which  some  of  our  hands,  being  ashore  after  wood,  had  taken  away.  The 
owner  followed ;  we  had  to  pay  him  two  dollars,  and  give  up  the  canoe. 
Nothing  more  worth  notice,  until  we  arrived  at  Red  Bank,  then  about  sun 
down  ;  found  it  to  be  a  place  of  small  note ;  there  we  remained  two  hours, 
and  proceeding,  passed  Diamond  Island  about  twelve  o'clock  at  night. 

20th. — About  five,  P.  M.,  met  with  some  difficulties  among  some  sawyers, 
which  is  a  term  given  by  boatmen  to  old  trees,  which  settle  in  the  river, 
and  which  rise  and  fall  by  the  rapidity  of  the  current.  They  are  often 
dangerous,  and  sometimes  fatal.  Immediately  after  disengaging  our 
boats  from  the  difficulty,  we  were  prevented  from  proceeding  by  a  ledge 
of  rocks;  with  much  hazard  we  cleared  ourselves  about  seven;  passed 
Highland  Creek,  where  stands  a  town  of  small  note,  entirely  inhabited 
by  Roman  Catholics.  At  half-past  nine  passed  the  Wabash  river,  came 
up  with  Colonel  Tyler  and  his  boats.  In  the  forks  of  the  Ohio  and 
Wabash,  stand  a  few  houses,  but  of  no  consequence.  The  latter  river 
here  is  of  considerable  magnitude,  and  runs  into  the  Ohio,  opposite  the 
center  of  an  island,  which  takes  its  name  from  the  river.  The  Ohio,  here, 
has  a  beautiful  appearance,  interspersed  with  handsome  plantations  along 
its  banks.  Four  miles  below  the  mouth  of  the  Wabash,  there  is  a  large 
island,  the  name  unknown  to  us.  At  half-past  twelve,  P.  M.,  arrived  at 
Shawneetown :  this  is  a  place  of  deposit  for  the  salt,  made  at  the  saline, 
but  of  no  other  importance,  being  a  place  of  no  trade. 

2lst. — Nothing  remarkable. 

22d. — Nothing  in  the  course  of  the  day,  but  had  a  very  wet  night. 

23rf. — A  beautiful  day ;  nothing  extra. 

2±th. — Very  windy ;  repaired  our  boats,  they  being  very  leaky  in  the 
rbofs.  At  eleven  o'clock,  P.'M.,  an  express  arrived  from  Colonel  Burr 
informing  us  of  his  intentions  to  meet  us  at  Cumberland  river;  likewise 
orders  for  us  to  proceed;  but  we  were  prevented  by  high  winds,  BO 
remained  that  night. 

Burr  to  Blennerhassett. 

NEAR  NASHVILLE,  Dec.  20,  1806. 

My  young  friend  Stokely  Hays,  the  son  of  a  respectable  old  revolution 
ary  officer,  will  hand  you  this,  and  will  bring  me  your  reply.  I  have 
experienced  distressing  delays ;  but  shall  be  at  the  mouth  of  the  Cumber 
land  on  the  23d,  Sunday.  Please  to  repair  thither.  Enter  on  the  east 
(upper)  side  of  the  island,  which  lies  in  the  mouth  of  the  river. 
I  anticipate  impatiently  the  pleasure  of  meeting  you. 

A.  BURR. 
H.  BLENNERHASSETT,  ESQ. 


186  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

25th.— Left  Shawneetown  at  eight  o'clock,  A.  M. ;  the  wind  fresh  and 
ahead.  Passed  an  island,  name  unknown  to  us.  This  day  the  wind  blew 
so  hard,  that  our  boats  were  totally  separated ;  with  much  difficulty  our 
boat  reached  the  Kentucky  shore,  after  riding  a  tremendous  swell;  re 
mained  until  sundown,  and  then  proceeded  on  to  join  the  rest  of  our 
company,  who  were  in  the  same  dilemma,  being  obliged  to  put  in  on  the 
Indiana  shore. 

26^. — About  five  o'clock,  A.  M.,  one  of  Mr.  Blennerhassett's  boats  joined 
us,  being  one  of  fifteen  that  were  stopped  at  Marietta.  At  half-past  seven 
o'clock  passed  the  Rock  and  Cave;  went  ashore  and  viewed  it;  found  no 
curiosities,  more  than  a  hollow  cavern.  Passed  Hurricane  Island  and  Creek 
at  half-past  ten  o'clock;  passed  Clover  Creek,  eleven  o'clock,  on  the  In 
diana  side ;  passed  the  Copperas  Banks  at  half-past  three,  P.  M.,  Indiana 
shore. 

27th. — Arrived  at  Cumberland  river,  at  half-past ,  A.  M.;  joined 

Col.  Burr,  at  the  above  place.  The  day  was  very  stormy,  and  put  our  lit 
tle  fleet  to  considerable  trouble. 

Burr  to  Blennerhassett. 

SUNDAY  EVENING. 

It  is  said  that  you  have  landed  a  mile  below.  We  must  all  be  stationary 
till  morning.  Send  to  me  by  return  of  this  boat,  Mr.  Hays,  with  five 
hundred  in  twenty  post  notes,  and  fifty  dollars  in  silver. 

We  will  endeavor  to  start  all  the  heavy  boats   at  an  early  hour  in  the 
morning :  those  below  are  to  wait  till  those  above  shall  come  down.      A 
gun  will  be  fired  as  a  signal  for  moving. 
All  is  well,  very  well,  at  this  garrison. 

Your  friend, 

A.  BURR. 

P.  S. — Mr^  Elliot  has  handed  me  some  money.  The  silver  is  necessary, 
if  it  can  be  come  at,  and  about  three  hundred  dollars  of  paper.  Hays 
need  not  come. 

28th. — This  day  a  boat  joined  us  from  Cumberland  river,  with  Cols. 
Burr,  Harris,  etc.,  on  board.  Pushed  off  on  our  journey,  and  landed  on 
the  Kentucky  shore  eight  miles  distant  from  the  above  place.  In  conse 
quence  of  high  winds,  we  landed  about  eight  o'clock,  P.  M. 

2$th. — This  day  pushed  off  at  eight  o'clock,  A.  M. ;  wind  ahead  and 
strong;  obliged  to  land  immediately  opposite  the  mouth  of  Tennessee 
river,  where  we  lay  by  for  several  hours ;  pushed  off  again  at  sundown, 
and  passed  Fort  Massac  at  half-past  eleven,  P.  M.,  and  landed  one  mile 
below. 

30th. — Pushed  off  at  five  o'clock,  A.  M. ;  pleasant  weather;  came  into 
the  Mississippi  at  half-past  three  o'clock;  passed  the  Iron  Banks  at  half- 
past  eight  o'clock,  and  passed  the  Chalk  Banks  at  half-past  nine,  A.  M. 


JOURNAL    CONTINUED. 


187 


31st.— Pleasant  weather;  nothing  happened  worth  notice.  Landed,  at 
sundown,  on  the  Louisiana  shore. 

January  1st.— This  day  landed  at  New  Madrid,  at  nine  o'clock,  A.  M.; 
remained  about  three  hours,  and  left  one  of  our  hands,  Major  G.  Wood, 
behind  with  a  canoe,  in  order  to  engage  some  men  that  purposed  coming 
on  with  us.  This  evening  on  coming  ashore,  owing  to  our  being  in  rear 
of  the  fleet,  and  going  after  dark,  our  boat  ran  aground,  but  got  off  with 
some  difficulty,  and  effected  a  good  landing  in  a  short  time. 

2d.— Pushed  off  this  day  at  four  o'clock,  A.  M.;  passed  the  little  prairie 
at  eight  o'clock ;  fine  weather ;  landed  at  five  o'clock  at  the  Little  Horse-shoe. 

3^ Pushed  off  this  day  about  five,  A.  M. ;  passed  a  number  of  islands ; 

saw  no  inhabitants.  I  believe  the  whole  of  the  fleet,  our  boat  only  ex- 
cepted,  got  into  an  eddy ;  we  escaped  only,  and  by  our  timely  exertions 
gained  the  opposite  side  of  the  island  and  river,  say  the  right  hand  side; 
the  rest  put  ashore.  Although  contrary  to  Colonel  Burr's  orders,  we  alone 
pushed  on. 

4^.— This  day  at  seven,  A.  M.,  we  landed  at  the  Chickasaw  Bluff,  where 
there  is  an  American  garrison,  commanded  by  Lieut.  Jackson. 

6th.— This  day  at  six  o'clock,  A.  M.,  left  this  place,  and  floated  all  day, 
and  landed  at  nine,  P.  M.,  on  an  island,  in  consequence  of  a  very  high 
wind ;  pushed  off  again  at  eleven  o'clock. 
6  ^.—Floated  all  day;  nothing  extra. 
7th.— Do. 
8th.— Do. 

9M.—  Floated  all  day,  until  two  o'clock,  P.  M. ;  landed  to  wait  for  Col. 
Burr;  got  some  wood;  perceived  the  sign  of  horses,  but  no  inhabitants 
any  where  to  be  found;  pushed  off  again  at  three  o'clock,  being  joined  by 
the  Colonel  and  his  boats;  floated  all  night  through  a  very  dangerous 
navigation;  about  eight  o'clock  one  of  Col.  Tyler's  boats  being  lashed  to  a, 
flat,  and  striking  against  a  sawyer,  was  broken  loose,  in  consequence  of 
which  Capt.  Dean's  boat  stopped,  and  dispatched  a  keel-boat  in  search  of 
the  one  lost.  Major  Floyd's  boat  put  ashore,  in  consequence  of  being  de 
terred  by  a  sudden  squall  of  wind,  which  arose  about  eight  o'clock ;  the 
rest  of  the  boats  proceeded. 

IQth. — At  four  o'clock,  A.  M.,  got  into  an  eddy;  could  not  get  out,  the 
night  being  very  dark ;  stayed  until  daylight  appeared ;  then  got  out,  and 
came  up  with  Col.  Burr's  two  boats,  namely,  the  boat  he  lived  in,  and  one 
that  had  horses ;  they  gave  us  a  signal  for  landing,  with  which  we  complied,x 
and  effected  a  landing  in  the  Mississippi  Territory.  About  twelve  o'clock 
this  clay,  Col.  Burr  pushed  down  the  river  with  a  bateau  and  twelve  men, 
and  appointed  to  meet  us  again  at  Bayou  Pierre ;  passed  Palmyra  at  half- 
past  one  o'clock';  passed  several  islands,  and  landed  about  fifteen  miles 
below. 

11  th. — This  day  pushed  off  at  eight,  A.  M.,  and  landed  at  Bayou  Pierre 
at  four  o'clock,  P.  M. ;  joined  Col.  Burr  and  party;  had  some  intention  of 


188  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

staying  at  this  place  some  time,  but  were  prevented  by  a  rumor  spreading 
in  the  country  of  our  intentions  being  hostile,  in  consequence  of  -which  a 
party  of  militia  came  and  stationed  themselves  in  the  woods,  some  dis 
tance  from  our  boats,  with  an  intention  to  stop  us  the  next  morning. 
We  being  apprised  of  their  intentions,  pushed  off  in  the  night,  and  landed 
four  miles  below,  on  the  Louisiana  shore. 

12th.— This  day  were  visited  by  Col.  and  some  of  his  dragoons,* 

talked  with  Col.  Burr  respecting  his  business,  and  went  away  well  satis 
fied.  This  day  Major  Floyd  joined  us  from  Natchez. 

13th. — This  day  were  visited  by  Col.  Fitzpatrick  and  some  of  his  dra 
goons ;  we  brought  them  over  the  river;  talked  with  Col.  Burr,  and 
seemed  well  pleased.  Col.  Fitzpatrick  brought  with  him  about  sixty  men, 
all  armed,  in  order  to  stop  us ;  but  on  hearing  our  business,  he  sent  the 
men  home,  and  left  us  quietly. 

14th. — Visited  by  several  militia  officers. 

IQth. — Visited  by  Col.  Shields,  Gov.  Williams's  aide-de-camp,  who  con 
versed  with  Col.  Burr,  and  appointed  a  meeting  between  him  and  the 
Governor,  and  then  departed. 

17th. — This  day  Col.  Burr  started,  agreeably  to  his  appointment,  to  meet 
the  Governor  at  the  mouth  of  Cole's  Creek,  with  several  gentlemen  with  him. 
This  day  was  remarkable  for  a  heavy  fall  of  snow,  perhaps  four  inches  deep. 

18th. — The  water  falling  rapidly,  we  thought  it  prudent  to  remove  from 
our  situation ;  and,  agreeably  to  the  orders  of  Mr.  Blennerhassett,  two  of 
our  boats  moved  down  the  river  about  a  mile,  being  afraid  of  being  blocked 
in  by  a  bar  that  was  outside  of  the  creek,  where  we  then  lay. 

Wth. — This  day  Col.  Fitzpatrick,  with  some  other  officers,  came  on  board, 
and  took  an  inventory  of  all  the  stores  and  property  we  had  on  board ; 
we  then  pushed  off,  but  were  immediately  challenged  by  a  Major  Flaharty, 
with  about  thirty  armed  men,  in  a  keel-boat,  who  ordered  us  to  put  on 
shore.  Being  told  that  his  Colonel  was  in  the  rear,  and  that  it  was  by  his 
sanction  we  put  off,  he  left,  and  troubled  us  no  more.  That  night  we  put 
on  shore  at  the  Petit  Gulf,  on  the  Louisiana  side ;  Major  Flaharty  and 
party  immediately  opposite,  on  the  other  side. 

2Qtk. — This  day,  about  ten  o'clock,  in  consequence  of  a  very  bad  land 
ing,  we  thought  proper  to  remove  our  boats  up  the  river,  which  we  effected. 
This  day  several  boats  trading  to  New  Orleans  were  stopped  by  Major 
Flaharty  and  party,  examined,  and  permitted  to  proceed. 

[  The  rest  of  this  Journal  is  in  the  handwriliny  of  Harman  Blennerhassett.~\ 

In  the  evening  the  Major  visited  H.  B. ;  professed  friendly  intentions, 
and  a  determination  to  join  us,  with  the  greater  part  of  his  regiment. 

2lst. — We  received  news  of  the  approach  of  a  Capt.  Davison,  with  a  party 
of  horse,  coming,  under  the  orders  of  Col.  Fitzpatrick,  to  search  for  concealed 
arms,  supposed  to  have  been  secreted  in  the  brush ;  during  the  night  a  party 
was  sent  out  by to  obviate  effectually  the  success  of  the  design. 


JOURNAL,    CONTINUED.  189 

22d. — This  morning  an  altercation  took  place  between  Majors  Floyd  and 
Flaharty,  which  induced  the  former  to  address  a  letter  to  the  latter  in  a 
sort  of  defiance.  This  measure  having  been  taken  without  my  approba 
tion,  I  informed  Major  Floyd  I  would  not  co-operate  with  him  in  any  acts 
he  should  enter  into  upon  his  letter  or  motives,  but  should,  by  myself  and 
my  party,  resist  such  conduct  on  the  part  of  Major  Flaharty  as  I  should 
deem  improper,  or  as  occasion  required.  Major  Floyd,  I  believe,  appre 
hending  no  attack  or  removal  of  our  boats  from  their  present  station, 
seemed  to  yield  to  my  observation,  and  in  the  morning  made  a  visit  to 
Major  Flaharty,  to  engage  with  him  in  a  shooting-match.  On  his  return 
to  the  boats,  he  informed  me  that  Major  Flaharty,  this  evening,  expected 
fresh  orders  from  the  Government,  to  enable  him  to  move  our  boats  down 
to  Cole's  Creek.  Eleven  o'clock  at  night,  there  were  several  shot  fired 
from  Major  Flaharty's  party  on  boats  passing  by  to  bring  them  to,  but 
without  effect.  Damage  to  the  boats  or  their  men  unknown.  This  morn 
ing  Col.  Comfort  Tyler  was  taken  from  his  boats,  by  an  escort  of  the 
militia,  to  appear  before  the  Governor  at  Washington,  the  seat  of  the  Ter 
ritorial  Government,  about  thirty  miles  from  our  station.  The  officer, 
Capt.  Davison,  who  made  the  requisition  to  Col.  Tyler,  observed  to  him 
that  he  had  no  warrant.  Col.  Tyler  agreed  to  the  Governor's  wishes  with 
out  that  requisite.  This  day  Major  Flaharty,  who  can  neither  read  or 
write,  and  is  not  a  magistrate,  informed  me  that  he  had  taken  and  for 
warded  to  the  Governor  the  affidavit  of  a  man,  who  deposed  before  him. 
that  he  had  seen,  fifty  miles  above  our  present  position  in  the  Petit  Gulf, 
thirteen  of  Col.  Burr's  boats  containing  arms  and  ammunition,  with  an 
unusual  number  of  men.  During  several  days  past,  some  individuals  of 
our  party  have  been  obliged,  at  Washington,  to  undergo  examination,  and 
enter  into  recognizance  to  testify,  on  the  part  of  the  United  States,  against 
A.  B.  at  the  next  federal  court,  to  be  held  on  the  first  Monday  in  February. 

About  ten  o'clock  this  morning,  Major  Floyd  communicated  to  me  the 
following  letter,  received  by  Capt.  Burney  from  Major  Flaharty : 

January  23d,  1807. 

SIR  : — Not  wishing  to  go  to  rash  measures,  I  have  to  inform  you  that  I 
must  comply  with  the  orders  of  the  commander-in-chief,  if  you  keep  your 
present  position;  and,  as  I  am  certain  that  it  can't  be  injurious  to  your 
self  nor  any  of  the  people  with  you,  I  wish  you  to  move  opposite  the 
mouth  of  Cole's  Creek,  where  the  communication  is  more  convenient  for 
you  and  me.  You  mentioned  in  your  letter  to  me,  yesterday,  that  you  did 
not  wish  to  put  the  militia  to  any  more  trouble.  Your  compliance  will  save 
the  march  of  two  companies  that  are  ready  to  join  me,  if  called  on. 
I  am,  with  much  esteem, 

Yours,  etc., 

JACOB  FLAHARTY, 
MAJOR  FLOYD.  Major,  2d  Regiment. 


190  THE    BLENNERIIASSETT    PAPERS. 

On  perusal  of  the  above  letter,  which  Flaharty  could  not  write,  I  ac 
quainted  Major  Floyd  that  if  it  was  worthy  of  credit  in  the  intimation  it 
held  out  of  the  orders  of  the  commander-in-chief,  and  the  truth  of  his 
menaced  reinforcements  of  two  companies,  it  might  as  well  answer  our 
present  views  and  situation  to  comply  as  to  adhere  to  the  determination 
expressed  yesterday,  of  maintaining  our  present  position ;  that,  on  the 
other  hand,  the  Governor  would  be  as  responsible  to  us  and  the  law  for  any 
impropriety  of  conduct  toward  us  by  the  militia,  as  for  any  other  acts  of 
authority  unduly  exercised  toward  us.  I  therefore  suggested  to  him  the 
substance  of  the  following  letter  in  reply  to  Flaharty : 

PETIT  GULF,  January  23c?,  1807. 

SIR: — Your  communication,  by  the  hands  of  Capt.  Burney,  I  just  now 
had  the  honor  of  receiving.  You  mention  your  wish  for  us  to  move  to  the 
mouth  of  Cole's  Creek;  the  request  I  would  take  a  pleasure  in  complying 
with,  had  not  Col.  Burr  directed  me  to  stay  where  we  now  are  until  his 
further  commands.  I  do  expect  to  have  a  messenger  from  Col.  Burr  to-day, 
perhaps  time  enough  to  move  down  this  evening.  At  all  events,  we  will 
determine,  to-morrow  morning  (23d),  what  step  will  be  proper  for  us  to 
take.  Report  says,  the  officer  commanding  the  district  opposite  you  is 
determined  to  prevent  the  commanding  officer  of  the  Mississippi  Territory 
from  interfering  with  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Territory  of  Orleans.  This 
report,  if  true,  may  be  proper  for  you  to  be  informed  of.  At  all  events, 
we  are  awaiting  a  legal  investigation  into  our  conduct ;  and  I  contend 
that,  during  that  investigation,  and  while  we  are,  properly  speaking,  in 
the  hands  of  its  authority,  the  military  law  has  no  right  to  interfere.  I  am, 

Respectfully,  etc., 

DAVIS  FLOYD. 
MAJOR  FLAHARTY. 

This  letter,  by  means  of  the  unfounded  suggestion,  submitted  to  Major 
Floyd,  of  the  jealousy  of  the  people  on  the  Louisiana  side,  of  any  en 
croachments  on  their  jurisdiction,  or  by  other  matter  it  contained,  pre 
vented  Flaharty  from  carrying  his  declarations  into  effect,  if  he  really 
had  authority  under  orders  from  the  Governor  so  to  do ;  and  he  was  re 
moved  from  his  post  opposite  to  us  the  following  morning  (24th),  on  the 
arrival  of  Col.  Fitzpatrtck,  who  substituted  only  a  party  of  ten  men,  under 
the  command  of  Capt.  Abrams,  with  orders  to  board  boats  civilly,  without 
firing  upon  them,  and  seize  only  such  arms  and  ammunition  as  they  might 
contain.  Col.  Burr,  this  day,  returned  to  the  boats  from  Washington, 
where  he  had  remained  since  the  17th  under  a  voluntary  submission  to  the 
civil  authority,  which  had  been  exacted  of  him  at  Cole's  Creek,  on  his 
reception  there  on  the  17th  by  Mead,  at  the  head  of  five  or  six  hundred 
of  the  militia,  half  armed  and  generally  discontented,  in  disregard  of  the 


DEMORALIZATION.  191 

connection  that  had  been  entered  into  by  Mead  and  himself.  The  Acting- 
Governor,  it  now  appeared,  had  threatened  him  with  all  the  armed  force  of 
the  country  unless  he  submitted.  No  securities,  however,  were  required 
for  his  appearance  at  the  adjourned  Federal  Court,  to  be  holden  on  the  first 
Monday  in  February.  His  own  single  recognizance  was  taken,  in  the  sum 

of  dollars.     Accordingly,  his  return  to  the  boats  was  free.     I  soon 

heard  from  him  that  Mr.  Mead  had  received  dispatches  announcing  the 
statements  by  Flaharty  of  what  had  passed  between  him  and  Major  Floyd, 
which  so  exasperated  the  Governor,  that  he  threatened  to  have  Floyd 
brought  to  him  in  irons,  but  was  induced  to  retract  his  menaces  on  learn 
ing  Flaharty's  character  to  be  fraught  with  the  utmost  ignorance  and 
assurance,  while  Major  Floyd's  temper  was  both  mild  and  amiable.  Col. 
Burr  also  acquainted  me  with  the  indignation  the  Federal  Judge,  Rodney, 
had  expressed  at  the  exercise  of  the  military  law  over  Col.  Burr  and  his 
friends,  both  in  the  Mississippi  and  Orleans  Territories ;  the  Judge  assur 
ing  him,  in  opposition  to  the  U.  S.  Attorney,  Mr.  Poindexter,  that  the  civil 
authority  of  the  Territory  was  competent  to  try  him ;  adding,  at  the  same 
time,  that  if  Wilkinson,  or  any  other  military  force,  should  attempt  to 
remove  his  person  out  of  the  Mississippi  Territory,  prior  to  his  trial,  he, 
the  Judge,  would  again,  as  he  expressed  it,  put  on  old  '"76,"  and  march 
out  in  support  of  Col.  Burr  and  the  Constitution.  This  day,  about  three 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  my  family  arrived  in  the  boat  of  Mr.  Thomas 
Butler,  who,  having,  on  his  way  from  Pittsburgh,  called  to  take  them  on 
board  at  my  house,  on  the  Ohio,  there  underwent,  with  eight  or  ten  other 
gentlemen,  a  captivity  for  three  days,  diversified  in  its  scenes  by  a  mock 
trial,  in  my  hall,  alternate  insult  and  plunder,  committed  in  common  on 
them,  my  family  and  property,  in  a  variety  of  particulars,  for  which  I 
refer  to  Mr.  Neville's  journal. 

2,5th. — Nothing  material  occurred  till  eight  o'clock  at  night,  when  we 
cast  off  to  drop  down  about  twenty-six  miles,  to  Cole's  Creek,  opposite 
which  we  took  another  station  on  the  Orleans  shore.  Here  we  remained, 
without  any  material  prospect  of  a  change  in  our  affairs,  till  the  27th,  when 
we  heard  that  intelligence  had  reached  Mississippi  Territory  that  Col.  B.'s 
drafts  on  New  York  had  been  protested,  and  that  Gov.  Williams,  who  had 
returned  to  resume  the  functions  of  his  office  in  the  Mississippi  Territory, 
was  reported  to  be  friendly  disposed  toward  us.  Col.  B.  determined  to 
visit  the  Governor,  and  set  out  next  morning  (28th)  for  that  purpose,  and 
to  prepare,  probably,  for  his  trial  on  the  following  Monday.  Reports  now 
reached  us  of  the  near  approach  to  Natchez  of  a  division  of  nine  or  ten 
gun-boats,  under  the  command  of  Commodore  Shaw,  bearing  a  special  order 
from  the  "Secretary  of  the  Navy"  to  take  Col.  Burr,  or  the  next  in  com 
mand  uncj^r  him,  and  to  take  or  destroy  all  the  boats  under  his  command. 
By  this  time  the  effects  of  general  disorder  and  want  of  regulation  in  the 
use  or  distribution  of  liquors  and  provisions,  with  a  total  disregard  of  all 
pretense  at  authority  whenever  attempted  to  be  assumed  by  superiors, 


192 


THE   BLENNERHASSETT    PAPERS. 


which  had  long  since  manifested  themselves  throughout  all  our  numbers, 
now  openly  broke  out  among  particular  leaders,  who  even  threatened  to 
turn  out  of  their  boats  the  provisions,  in  payment  for  the  demands  of  some 
of  the  men  who  had  become  discontented  and  threatened  to  leave  us. 

2Qth. — Nothing  occurred  till  2d  of  February,  when  the  Court  at  Washing 
ton  had  not  that  day  charged  the  grand  jury,  who,  of  course,  had  not  found 
any  bill  against  Col.  Burr,  owing  to  objections,  I  suppose,  made  by  the 
Attorney-General,  to  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Court  over  actions  done  by 
Col.  Burr,  without  the  limits  of  their  Territory.  Next  day  (Feb.  3d), 
Mr.  N.  brought  me  intelligence  of  the  arrival  of  Graham  at  Washington, 
and  of  his  having  had  an  interview  with  Col.  Burr. 


YOUNG   AMERICA.  198 


CHAPTER    IX. 

MORGAN  NEVILLE  and  William  Robinson,  jun.,  with  a 
party  of  fourteen  young  men,  early  in  December,  em 
barked  from  Pittsburgh,  in  a  flat-boat.  Most  of  these 
were  sons  of  gentlemen  of  affluence  and  ease,  who  knew 
but  little  of  the  realities  of  life,  farther  than  was  learned 
within  the  walls  of  an  academy. 

They  had  proceeded  down  the  river,  as  far  as  Parkers- 
burg,  when  their  boat  was  driven  on  the  shore  by 
the  ice  during  the  night,  and  they  were  espied  by  the 
Wood  county  militia,  and  the  whole  party  arrested  as 
accomplices  of  Burr. 

With  "  savage  magnificence,"  they  were  escorted  to 
the  island,  to  await  the  return  of  Col.  Phelps,  who  was 
then  absent,  at  Point  Pleasant,  in  an  ineffectual  attempt 
to  arrest  Blennerhassett.  Somewhat  chagrined  at  their 
luckless  adventure,  so  far,  the  young  men  endeavored  to 
pass  their  time  as  pleasantly  as  possible,  by  ridiculing 
the  militia,  and  threatening  them  with  the  strong  arm 
of  the  law. 

But  the  intrepid  captors  were  not  to  be  deterred  from 
duty.  They  parried  the  sarcasm  of  their  adversaries, 
and  occasionally  retorted  with  considerable  effect.  The 
impertinence  of  the  captives,  at  length,  becoming  insup 
portable,  three  justices  of  the  peace  were  sent  for,  to 
13 


194  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

institute  an  examination  into  the  facts,  to  commit  for 
further  trial,  or  acquit,  the  young  men,  as  the  evidence 
might  warrant. 

They  were  accordingly  arraigned,  and,  after  a  full 
investigation  of  the  facts,  mostly  upon  the  evidence  of 
the  young  men  themselves,  the  court  acquitted  them  of 
all  hostile  designs  against  the  United  States. 

"During  the  trial,  the  moh-spirit  of  the  militia  began 
to  run  riot,  and,  by  the  time  it  was  ended,  all  was  con 
fusion.  The  well-stored  cellars  of  the  mansion  began  to 
pour  forth  their  riches ;  drunkenness  ensued ;  fences 
were  torn  down,  to  pile  upon  the  blazing  fire  of  the  sen 
tinels  ;  the  shrubbery  was  trampled  under  foot." 

In  the  midst  of  this  scene  of  confusion,  Mrs.  Blenner- 
hassett  returned  from  her  unsuccessful  visit  to  Marietta, 
whither  she  had  gone  to  procure  the  family  boat  of 
Blennerhassett.  A  scene  of  such  desolation  and  ruin 
of  all  that  was  fair  and  beautiful,  and  around  which  her 
young  affections  had  clung  with  fond  associations,  was 
calculated  to  crush  a  heart  whose  native  character  was 
remarkable  for  its  strong  attachments  to  the  objects  of 
its  love ;  but  she  had  long  since  resigned  her  beautiful 
abode,  for  the  more  tempting  lands  which  her  imagina 
tion  had  dressed  in  fancy's  brightest  colors,  where  serener 
skies  and  gayer  flowers  "  shed  their  mingled  delights  " 
over  the  perennial  green  of  nature's  bosom.  The  suc 
cessful  issue  of  the  expedition  was  to  her  a  matter  of 
weightier  moment  than  all  other  considerations;  and, 
thus  it  was,  she  remained  unmoved  amid  the  general 
wreck  of  her  fair  possessions,  by  the  ruthless  mob. 


COL.    PHELPS.  195 

Her  situation,  however,  was  one  of  painful  embarrass 
ment.  Blennerhassett,  having  departed  in  haste,  with 
out  making  arrangements  for  her  voyage,  and  the  refusal 
of  the  authorities,  at  Marietta,  to  deliver  her  the  boat, 
constructed  for  that  especial  purpose,  left  her,  for  a  time, 
in  almost  hopeless  despair  of  joining  her  husband  at  the 
appointed  place.  The  weather  had  been  intensely  cold, 
and  the  fast-accumulating  ice,  in  the  Ohio,  appeared  to 
forbid  a  re-union  with  Blennerhassett  until  the  following 
spring,  when,  in  all  probability,  she  could  only  find  him 
in  the  Spanish  dominions.  It  was,  therefore,  with  feel 
ings  of  mingled  gratitude  and  pleasure  that  she  accepted 
the  proffer  of  a  room  in  the  boat  of  Thomas  Butler,  one 
of  the  young  men,  who  promised  to  make  the  accommo 
dations  as  comfortable  to  herself  and  children  as  the 
circumstances  of  her  situation  would  permit. 

During  the  course  of  the  evening,  Col.  Phelps  returned 
from  his  tour  across"  the  •  country.  In  this  unexpected 
arrival,  the  young  men  had  new  cause  of  anxiety  and 
alarm.  They  had  congratulated  themselves  upon  their 
successful  defeat  of  the  functionaries  of  the  law,  which 
they  attributed  mainly  to  their  superior  tact  in  mystify 
ing  their  judges,  and  intimidating  their  accusers  ;  but 
here  was  one  who  could  not  be  duped  by  sophistical 
reasoning,  or  swerved  from  his  duty  by  the  fear  of  con 
sequences.  Although  dressed  in  the  usual  style  of  the 
backwoodsmen  of  that  day,  the  careless  manner  in  which 
he  wore  his  garb  added  gracefulness  to  a  form  both 
attractive  and  commanding.  They  recognized  in  him, 
an  individual  of  physical  as  well  as  intellectual  superi 


196 


THE   BLENNERHASSETT    PAPERS. 


ority,  and  therefore  wisely  concluded  to  assume  a  differ 
ent  bearing  from  that  they  oefore  had  observed  toward 
their  captors  and  judges.* 

In  a  thoughtful  and  classic  attitude,  he  surveyed  the 
destruction  of  the  premises,  and  the  evident  marks  of 
bacchanalian  revelry,  by  which  the  party  under  his  com 
mand  had  disgraced  themselves ;  then,  turning  upon  them 
a  look  of  withering  rebuke,  he  spoke  in  such  terms  of  in 
dignation  as  caused  them  to  shrink  with  fear  and  trepi 
dation.  "  Shame !  men,"  he  exclaimed ;  "  shame  on  such 
conduct !  You  have  disgraced  your  district,  and  the 
cause  in  which  you  are  concerned  !  " 

To  the  party  of  strangers,  however,  he  was  courteous 
and  attentive.  They  soon  ascertained  that  they  had  no 
cause  to  apprehend  the  frustration  of  their  plans  by  Col. 
Phelps ;  indeed,  so  far  from  that,  he  willingly  acceded  to 
their  wishes,  in  permitting  the  departure  of  Mrs.  Blen- 
nerhassett,  and  proffered  his  services,  in  accelerating  her 
arrangements  to  go  to  her  husband,  who,  he  said,  he 
knew  could  never  return  to  her.  To  Mrs.  Blennerhassett 
he  expressed  his  deep  sense  of  mortification,  for  the  riot- 


*  The  following  anecdote  of  him,  related  by  General  Cass,  in  his  work 
styled  "  France,  its  King,  Court  and  Government,"  is  perfectly  character 
istic.  He  says : 

"  I  recollect  a  similar  incident,  which  took  place  in  a  small  village  upon 
the  banks  of  the  Ohio.  The  court  was  in  session,  and  the  presiding  officer 

•was  a  Colonel  P ,  a  man  of  great  resolution,  and  of  herculean  frame. 

A  person  entered  the  court  cabin,  and,  by  his  noise,  put  a  stop  to  the  pro 
ceedings.  He  was  ordered  out,  and  the  sheriff  attempted  to  remove  him : 
but  he  put  himself  upon  his  reserved  rights,  and  made  such  a  vigorous  re 
sistance  that  the  officer  retired  from  the  contest.  Colonel  P ,  there 
upon,  descended  from  the  bench,  coolly  took  off  his  coat,  gave  'he 
brawler  a  severe  beating,  and,  after  putting  him  out  of  his  house,  resumed 
his  garment  and  his  seat,  and  continued  his  judicial  functions." 


DESERTION.  197 

ous  acts  of  his  misguided  men,  and  assured  her,  of  what 
she  was  already  aware,  that  if  he  had  been  present,  the 
shameful  act  would  not  have  occurred. 

"  Early  next  morning,  Mrs.  Blennerhassett  commenced 
her  preparations  for  a  final  farewell  of  the  island  Eden, 
where,  for  eight  years,  she  had  been  the  presiding  genius. 
Her  energy  and  zeal  were  such,  that,  in  a  few  hours,  she 
took  possession  of  the  humble  chamber  prepared  for  her 
in  the  boat,  and,  by  the  assistance  of  Col.  Phelps,  who 
rivaled  the  young  men  in  courtesy,  the  necessary  stores 
and  furniture  were  embarked.  On  the  17th  day  of  De 
cember,  the  boat  swung  from  the  shore,  lashed  to  another 
of  the  same  class,  belonging  to  A.  "W.  Putnam,  of  BelpreY' 

In  the  latter  part  of  December,  they  passed  the  mouth 
of  the  Cumberland,  where  it  was  expected  she  would  join 
her  husband;  but,  as  we  before  have  shown,  he  had 
passed  out  of  the  Ohio  into  the  waters  of  the  rapid  Mis 
sissippi,  and  moored  at  the  entrance  of  Bayou  Pierre. 
Early  in  January,  she  was  restored,  with  her  children,  to 
Blennerhassett,  who  received  them  with  that  deep-felt 
affection  which  a  parent  and  husband  can  only  appreciate. 

The  situation  of  Burr  and  Blennerhassett  had  now 
become  one  of  painful  ^  anxiety.  It  was  evident,  from 
surrounding  circumstances,  that  the  strong  hands  of  the 
general  and  State  governments  had  become  too  powerful 
for  the  small  forces  under  their  command.  Burr  saw  that 
he  was  the  "victim  of  bad  faith."  Those  who  had 
favored  the  enterprise  at  first,  and  gave  him  to  understand 
that  their  aid  could  be  relied  on,  abandoned  their  designs, 
upon  the  issuing  of  the  President's  proclamation.  The 
authorities  of  the  States  and  Territories  bordering  on  the 


198  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

Ohio  and  Mississippi  rivers  had  ordered  out  the  militia, 
for  the  apprehension  of  the  parties ;  and,  from  Pittsburgh 
to  the  Gulf,  the  most  rigid  measures  had  been  adopted,  to 
give  an  effectual  check  to  the  further  progress  of  the 
expedition. 

As  for  Blennerhassett,  his  situation  was  cheerless  in 
the  extreme.  For  Burr,  had  he  abandoned  his  home  with 
all  its  endearments,  his  books,  his  studies,  his  property, 
and,  withal,  was  deeply  involved  for  debts  contracted  for 
the  enterprise.  As  if  the  furies  were  not  yet  satiated  in 
their  revenge,  he  was  hunted  and  pursued,  as  a  malefac 
tor,  and  momentarily  expected  the  chi-lling  touch  of  the 
officer  of  the  law,  to  summon  him  to  justice. 

On  a  dark  and  dreary  night,  in  the  month  of  January, 
as  the  flotilla  pushed  slowly  from  the  landing  at  Petit 
Gulf,  might  have  been  observed  the  master-spirit  of  the 
expedition,  seated  on  a  rough  stool,  in  the  inclement 
cabin  of  a  flat-boat,  lighted' only  by  the  cheerless  rays  of 
a  solitary  candle,  and  the  decaying  embers  of  a  rudely- 
constructed  fireplace.  With  his  face  buried  in  his  hands, 
while  his  elbows  rested  on  a  table  of  unplaned  boards,  he 
who  had  heretofore  braved  the  disappointments  which 
had  attended  his  undertaking,  with  a  fortitude  that 
astonished,  while  it  gave  confidence  to,  his  followers, 
now  sat  gloomy  and  dejected.  Upon  what  he  mused  is 
beyond  human  ken;  but,  starting  suddenly  from  his 
revery,  he  caught  up  an  axe,  and  directed  his  attendant 
to  make  an  opening  in  the  side  of  the  boat.  Through 
this,  in  the  silence  of  the  night,  when  he  supposed  there 
was  none  to  witness,  the  chests  of  arms  for  the  expedition 
were  silently  sunk  beneath  the  waters  of  the  Mississippi. 


POINDEXTER.  199 


CHAPTER   X. 

COWLES  MEAD,  secretary  of  the  Mississippi  Territory, 
performing  the  duties  of  Governor,  had,  on  the  third  day 
of  December,  1806,  issued  his  proclamation  for  the  arrest 
of  "  the  Burr  conspirators ; "  and,  at  the  same  time,  call 
ing  on  the  officers  of  the  Government  to  take  the  oath 
of  fidelity  to  the  United  States.  To  this  proclamation,  • 
Burr,  on  the  12th  of  January,  1807,  replied  in  a  letter  of 
some  length,  in  which  he  disavowed  any  designs  hostile 
to  the  tranquillity  of  the  country,  stating  that  his  only 
object  was  a  peaceable  settlement  of  the  lands  of  his  new 
purchase.  "  If  the  alarm  which  has  been  excited,"  he 
remarks,  "  should  not  be  appeased  by  this  declaration,  I 
invite  my  fellow- citizens  to  visit  me  at  this  place  (Bayou 
Pierre),  and  to  receive  from  me,  in  person,  such  further 
explanations  as  may  be  necessary  to  their  satisfaction, 
presuming  that  when  my  views  are  understood,  they  will 
receive  the  countenance  of  all  good  men."  This  letter, 
he  requested,  might  be  read  to  the  militia,  who,  he  under 
stood,  were  assembled  for  his  arrest. 

Having  moved  his  boats  to  the  western  margin  of  the 
Mississippi  river,  a  short  distance  below  Bayou  Pierre,  he 
was  visited  by  George  Poindexter,  Esq.,  the  Attorney 
General  of  the  Territory,  who  had  been  appointed  by 
Mead  as  an  honorary  aid-de-camp  for  the  arrest  of  the 


200  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

parties.  The  object  of  this  visit  was  to  gain  correct  in 
formation  as  to  the  situation  of  Burr  ;  to  ascertain  his 
views,  so  far  as  they  might  be  communicated;  and  to 
procure  his  peaceful  surrender  to  the  civil  authorities. 

Major  Shields,  who  accompanied  Poindexter,  delivered 
to  Burr  the  following  letter  from  the  Acting-Governor  : 


WASHINGTON,  January  15fA,  1807. 

SIR  :  —  Your  approach  to  this  country  has  excited  not 
only  the  apprehensions  of  the  General  Government,  but 
alarmed,  in  a  high  degree,  the  good  citizens  of  this  Ter 
ritory.  From  these  causes  I  have  ordered  my  militia  to 
rendezvous  at  such  places  as  will  enable  them  to  guard 
this  Territory  against  any  design  inimical  to  this  govern 
ment;  but  having  heard,  through  Col.  Waldridge,  that 
you  profess  perfect  innocence  of  the  views  charged  to 
you,  I  hav.e  thought  proper  to  send  to  you  a  confidential 
aid-de-camp,  to  receive  from  you  such  information  on 
this  subject  as  you  may  please  to  make.  He  will  com 
municate  freely  with  you,  and  you  may  implicitly  confide 
in  every  assurance  which  he  may  make  in  my  name.  I 
have  the  honor  to  be, 

Your  humble  servant, 

COWLES  MEAD. 
To  Col.  A.  Burr. 

P.  S.  The  gentleman  attending  Major  Shields,  is  an 
honorary  aid,  and  one  who  likewise  possesses  my  fullest 
confidence.  Mr.  Poindexter,  though  a  high  civil  officer, 
visits  you  as  my  aid.  Yours,  etc., 

COWLES  MEAD. 


SURRENDER.  201 

The  sentence  relating  to  guarding  the  Territory  against 
any  designs  inimical  to  the  Government,  Burr  repeated 
with  a  sneer,  adding  that  he  had  no  intention  to  injure 
the  citizens  of  the  United  States.  "As  to  any  projects 
or  plans,"  he  continued,  "  which  may  have  been  formed 
between  General  Wilkinson  and  myself,  heretofore,  they 
are  now  completely  frustrated  by  the  perfidious  conduct 
of  Wilkinson ;  and  the  world  must  pronounce  him  a  per 
fidious  villain.  If  I  am  sacrificed,  my  portfolio  will  prove 
him  to  be  such."  He  stated  further,  that,  so  far  from 
having  any  designs  hostile  to  the  citizens  of  the  United 
States,  he  intended  to  have  met  Mr.  Mead,  at 'Port  Gib 
son,  on  the  day  of  the  general  muster,  which  happened 
at  that  place  about  the  time  of  his  arrival  at  Bayou 
Pierre ;  but  was  deterred  from  so  doing,  by  the  belief 
that  he  would  be  assassinated,  if  seen  passing  through 
the  Territory. 

Mr.  Poindexter  then  requested  him  to  surrender  him 
self  peaceably  to  the  civil  authorities ;  stating  that,  un 
less  he  did,  the  Governor  would  certainly  arrest  him  by 
force.  Burr  declared  his  willingness  at  all  times  to  sub 
mit,  and  proposed  that  an  interview  should  take  place 
between  himself  and  the  Acting- Governor,  at  some  con 
venient  place,  on  the  next  day ;  claiming  protection  from 
personal  violence  in  the  mean  time. 

Stipulations  were  entered  into,  by  which  it  was  agreed 
that  Burr  should  be  returned  to  his  boats,  if  Mead  should 
not  accept  of  his  surrender ;  that  his  flotilla  should  re 
main  in  the  position  it  then  occupied,  until  after  the  pro 
posed  interview  should  have  taken  place ;  and  that,  in 


202  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

the  mean  while,  his  men  should  commit  no  breach  of  the 
peace,  or  violate  any  law  of  the  United  States  or  Missis 
sippi  Territory.  The  place  designated  for  the  conference 
was  the  house  of  Thomas  Calvert,  a  respectable  citizen 
of  the  Territory,  who  resided  near  the  mouth  of  Cole's 
Creek,  where  the  detachment  of  militia  which  descended 
the  river  was  stationed. 

Burr,  accordingly,  on  the  seventeenth  day  of  January, 
dropped  down  the  river  as  far  as  Thomas  Calvert's,  ac 
companied  by  Col.  Fitzpatrick,  who  directed  him  to  be 
taken  in  charge  by  Captain  Davidson's  company  of  dra 
goons.  Here  he  was  joined,  according  to  appointment, 
by  Mead ;  when  further  stipulations  were  required  as  to 
the  terms  of  his  surrender.  These  were,  first,  that  the 
agreement  entered  into,  for  the  purpose  of  procuring  that 
interview,  should  be  declared  void.  Secondly,  that  Burr 
should  give  himself-  up,  unconditionally,  to  the  civil 
authority.  And,  thirdly,  that  his  boats  should  be  searched, 
and  all  military  stores  and  apparatus  found  on  board  be 
disposed  of,  as  the  Executive  should  think  fit. 

To  these  terms,  the  Acting-Governor  required  Burr's 
unequivocal  reply,  in  fifteen  minutes ;  and,  if  not  agreed 
to,  he  was  to  be  instantly  returned  to  his  boats,  and  the 
militia  ordered  to  seize  the  whole  party  by  force. 

As  there  was  no  chance  of  escape,  the  conditions  were 
accepted  of  and  carried  into  effect.  Burr  declared  his 
unwillingness  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  Wilkinson,  and 
requested,  if  any  attempt  should  be  made  to  arrest  him 
by  a  military  force  from  iN"ew  Orleans,  that  it  miglit  be 
opposed.  He  was  conducted  to  the  town  of  Washington, 


THE   JURY.  203 

where  lie  was  delivered  over  to  the  custody  of  the  law, 
and  the  examination  of  the  witnesses  immediately  com 
menced  hefore  Judge  Eodney. 

Mr.  Poindexter  was  called  on,  in  his  official  capacity  as 
attorney-general,  to  give  his  written  opinion  as  to  the 
course  which  ought  to  be  pursued.  He,  accordingly,  fur 
nished  an  able  argument  against  any  attempt  to  try  the 
accused  in  the  courts  of  the  Territory.  He  stated  that 
they  had  no  evidence  to  convict  him  of  any  offense  com 
mitted  in  Mississippi ;  that  the  Supreme  Court  of  the 
Territory,  to  which  a  jury  was  about  to  be  summoned, 
had  no  original  jurisdiction  of  any  prosecution,  and  could 
only  take  cognizance  of  law  reserved  at  the  trial  in  the 
Circuit  Court.  It  was  his  opinion,  therefore,  that  Burr 
should  be  sent  to  the  city  of  Washington,  where  the  Su 
preme  Court  of  the  United  States  would  be  in  session ; 
and  the  judges,  attending  from  every  part  of  the  Union, 
could  direct  him  to  be  tried  in  the  District,  where,  from 
the  evidence,  it  might  appear  that  an  overt  act  of  treason 
had  been  committed. 

But  Judge  Rodney  thought  differently ;  and  a  venire 
facias  was  issued,  requiring  the  attendance  of  seventy-six 
jurors,  at  an  adjourned  session  of  the  Supreme  Court  of 
the  Mississippi  Territory,  to  be  held  in  February.  From 
the  number  attending,  at  the  appointed  time,  a  grand 
jury  of  twenty -three  persons  was  selected,  who  received 
a  charge  from  the  judge  and  were  adjourned  until  the 
next  day. 

The  following  morning,  a  motion  was  made,  by  the 
attorney-general,  to  discharge  the  grand  jury ;  first,  be 
cause  the  court  did  not  possess  original  jurisdiction  in  any 


204  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

case ;  secondly,  because  the  depositions,  submitted  to  his 
inspection,  did  not  furnish  sufficient  evidence  to  convict 
Burr  of  the  offenses  with  which  he  was  charged,  so  as  to 
bring  them  within  the  Mississippi  Territory ;  and,  thirdly, 
that  a  warrant  might  issue,  transmitting  the  accused  to  a 
court  having  competent  jurisdiction,  to  try  and  punish 
him,  if  guilty  of  the  crime  alleged  against  him.  The 
court  being  divided  on  this  motion,  it  was,  in  conse 
quence,  overruled,  and  the  grand  jury  retired.  The 
attorney-general,  thereupon,  determined  to  prefer  no  in 
dictment,  and  left  the  court-room.  r  H 

In  the  afternoon  the  jury  returned  with  the  following 
presentments : 

"The  grand  jury  of  the  Mississippi  Territory,  on  a  due 
investigation  of  the  evidence  brought  before  them,  are 
of  opinion  that  Aaron  Burr  has  not  been  guilty  of  any 
crime  or  misdemeanor  against  the  laws  of  the  United 
States,  or  of  this  Territory ;  or  given  any  just  cause  of 
alarm  or  inquietude  to  the  good  people  of  the  same. 

"  The  grand  jurors  present,  as  a  grievance,  the  late 
military  expedition,  unnecessarily,  as  they  conceive,  fitted 
out  against  the  person  and  property  of  the  said  Aaron 
Burr,  when  no  resistance  had  been  made  to  the  civil 
authorities. 

"  The  grand  jurors  also  present,  as  a  grievance,  destruct 
ive  of -personal  liberty,  the  late  military  arrests,*  made 
without  warrant,  and,  as  they  conceive,  without  other 
lawful  authority;  and  they  do  sincerely  regret  that  so 
much  cause  has  been  given  to  the  enemies  of  our  glorious 

*  The  arrests  of  Bollman,  Swartwout,  Ogden  and  others,  at  New  Orleans, 
on  suspicion  of  being  engaged  in  the  expedition. 


SUSPENSE.  205 

Constitution,  to  rejoice  at  such  measures  being  adopted, 
in  a  neighboring  Territory,  as,  if  sanctioned  by  the  Ex 
ecutive  of  our  country,  must  sap  the  vitals  of  our  polit 
ical  existence,  and  crumble  this  glorious  fabric  in  the 
dust." 

The  attorney-general  declared  his  astonishment  at  such 
unwarrantable  presentments  by  the  grand  jury,  and,  in 
forming  the  court  that  he  should  take  no  notice  of  them, 
retired.  Judge  Rodney  strongly  reprobated  such  conduct 
on  the  part  of  the  jury,  and,  after  rating  them  in  no  very 
mild  terms,  dismissed  them  without  delay. 

In  the  evening  of  the  day  on  which  the  court  sat,  Burr 
visited  the  house  of  Colonel  Osborne.  He  had  asked  to 
be  discharged  from  his  recognizance,  as  he  had  fully  com 
plied  with  its  terms ;  but,  learning  that  it  was  the  inten 
tion  of  Gov.  Williams  to  seize  on  his  person  the  moment  he 
was  discharged  by  judicial  authority,  he  requested  John 
Dana,  one  of  his  force  from  Belpre*,  with  two  others,  to 
convey  him,  in  a  boat,  to  a  point  about  twenty  miles  from 
Bayou  Pierre,  whence  he  could  escape  across  the  country. 

Before  leaving,  he  hastily  advised  Mrs.  Blennerhassett 
of  the  result  of  the  investigation,  as  follows : 

WASHINGTON,  January  3Ist,  1807. 
MRS.  M.  BLENNERHASSETT  : 

Our  persons  and  our  property  are  safe  from  violence 
and  from  pursuit.  It  is  with  regret  and  mortification 
that  I  acknowledge,  that,  at  present,  nothing  more  can  be 
said ;  yet  there  is  reason  to  hope  for  something  more,  for 
permission  (how  humiliating  ! )  to  go  on  to  Washita. 

My  presence  is  necessary  here,  and  will  be  so  for  three 


206  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

or  four  days.  The  separation  from  my  friends  is  extremely 
irksome  and  painful.     Adieu.  A.  BURR. 

Procuring  a  boatman's  dress,  in  which  to  disguise  him 
self,  he  proceeded  on  his  tour.  Upon  hearing  of  his 
escape,  Williams  issued  a  proclamation,  offering  two 
thousand  dollars  for  his  apprehension  and  safe  delivery  to 
the  proper  authorities.  A  few  days  afterward,  a  negro 
boy  was  discovered  near  the  mouth  of  Cole's  Creek,  oppo 
site  which  the  boats  were  stationed,  riding  on  a  horse 
which  belonged  to  Burr,  and  having  on  his  surtout  coat. 
These  circumstances  created  a  suspicion;  the  boy  was 
searched,  and,  sowed  up  in  the  cape  of  his  coat,  was  found 
a  note  to  the  following  effect : 

"  If  you  are  yet  together,  keep  so,  and  I  will  join  you 
to-morrow  night.  In  the  mean  while,  put  all  your  arms 
in  perfect  order.  Ask  no  questions  of  the  bearer,  but  tell 
him  all  you  may  think  I  wish  to  know.  He  does  not 
know  that  this  is  from  me,  nor  where  I  am." 

To  C.  T.  and  D.  F  * 

From  Blennerhassett' s  journal  it  appears  that,  to  add  to 
their  discomfiture,  they  learned  that  Burr's  drafts  on  New 
York  had  been  returned  protested.  General  disorder 
reigned  among  his  followers,  who  having  indulged  to  ex 
cess  in  the  use  of  ardent  spirits,  and  witnessing  the  total 
destruction  of  his  enterprise,  had  thrown  off  all  authority, 
and  threatened  to  appropriate  the  supplies  in  compensa 
tion  for  their  wages. 

In  consequence  of  the  discovery  of  Burr's  letter  to 

*  Comfort  Tyler  and  Davis  Floyd. 


MORE    ARRESTS.  207 

Tyler  and  Floyd,  the  men  were  arrested  and  placed  under 
guard,  where  they  were  detained  until  the  alarm  was 
over.  Many,  if  not  all  of  them,  were  permitted  occa 
sionally  to  walk  about,  free  of  restraint,  on  their  parole 
of  honor. 

In  the  mean  while,  several  arrests  of  the  supposed  ac 
complices  of  Burr  had  been  made  at  Fort  Adams  and 
New  Orleans.  Among  the  number  were  Bollman,  Ogden, 
Swartwout,  Adair,  Dayton,  Smith  and  Alexander,  against 
whom  the  most  rigid  and  unjustifiable  authority  had 
been  exercised  by  General  Wilkinson;  in  many  cases 
upon  bare  suspicion,  and  without  resistance  at  any  time 
to  civil  authority.  General  Adair,  who  had  arrived  at 
New  Orleans  on  the  10th  of  January,  was  besieged  by 
one  hundred  and  twenty  men,  under  command  of  Lieu 
tenant-Colonel  Kingsbury,  accompanied  by  one  of  Wil 
kinson's  aids.  They  seized  upon  him  while  at  dinner  in 
a  public-house,  dragged  him  from  the  table,  and  con 
ducted  him  to  head-quarters,  where  he  was  placed  in 
confinement,  and  secreted,  until  an  opportunity  offered  to 
convey  him  away.*  It  was  even  attempted,  in  the  Legis 
lature  of  Louisiana,  at  the  suggestion  of  the  Governor, 

*  An  Irish  gentleman  of  wit  and  humor  happened   to  be   confined  in 
prison  for  debt,  when  it  was  announced  to  him  by  one  of  the  officials,  that 
Gen.  Adair  was  in  the  adjoining  room.     He  immediately  struck  up  in  a 
full  musical  voice,  to  the  tune  of  Robin  Adair : 
"  Ye  are  welcome  to  Orleans, 

Johnny  Adair, — 
Ye  are  welcome  to  Orleans, 

Johnny  Adair! 
How  does  little  Aaron  do  ? — 
And  Irish  Blanny,  too? — 
Why  did'nt  they  come  with  you, 
Johnny  Adair  I 


208  THE  BLEKNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

to  suspend  the  writ  of  habeas  corpus — that  inestimable 
guarantee  to  the  liberties  of  every  American  citizen, 
more  effectually  to  aid  the  harsher  application  of  mili 
tary  law  and  military  dictation. 

Toward  the  writs  of  habeas  corpus,  issued  by  the  courts, 
to  bring  the  accused  parties  before  them,  Wilkinson  ob 
served  the  most  profound  contempt.  So  ineffectual  was 
the  process  of  the  courts,  in  bringing  either  the  prisoners 
or  Wilkinson  before  them,  that  Judge  Workman  recom 
mended  to  the  Governor,  that  Wilkinson  should  be 
opposed  by  force  of  arms.  He  stated  that  the  violent 
measures  of  that  officer  had  produced  great  discontent, 
alarm  and  agitation  in  the  public  mind ;  and  unless  such 
proceedings  were  effectually  opposed,  all  confidence  in 
Government  would  be  at  an  end.  He  urged  the  Governor 
to  revoke  the  order,  by  which  he  had  placed  the  Orleans 
volunteers  under  Wilkinson's  command,  and  to  call  out 
and  arm  the  rest  of  the  militia  as  soon  as  possible.  He 
stated  it  as  his  opinion,  that  an  army  would  not  oppose 
the  civil  power,  when  constitutionally  brought  forth,  or 
that  if  they  did,  the  Governor  might  soon  have  men 
enough  to  render  the  opposition  ineffectual.* 

Eb  satisfactory  answer  having  been  made  to  Workman 
by  the  Governor,  he  again  addressed  him  on  the  subject. 
It  was  notorious,  he  remarked,  that  the  commander-in- 
chief  of  the  military  forces  had,  by  his  own  authority, 
arrested  several  citizens  for  civil  offenses,  and  avowed  on 
record,  that  he  had  adopted  means  to  send  them  out  of 
the  Territory,  openly  declaring  his  determination  to  usurp 

*  Martin's  History  of  Louisiana. 


DILEMMA.  209 

the  functions  of  the  judiciary,  by  making  himself  the 
only  judge  of  the  guilt  of  the  persons  he  suspected,  and 
asserting  in  the  same  manner,  and  without  contradiction, 
that  his  measures  were  taken  after  several  consultations 
with  the  Governor. 

Although  a  common  case  would  not  require  the  step 
he  was  taking,  yet  he  deemed  it  his  duty,  before  any 
decisive  measure  was  pursued  against  him,  who  had  all 
the  regular  force,  and,  in  pursuance  of  the  Governor's 
public  orders,  a  great  part  of  the  Territory  at  his  disposal, 
to  ask  whether  the  executive  had  the  ability  to  enforce 
the  decrees  of  the  court  of  the  county ;  and  if  he  had, 
whether  he  would  deem  it  expedient  to  do  it  in  the  pres 
ent  instance ;  or  whether  the  allegations,  by  which  Wil 
kinson  supported  the  violent  measures,  were  well  founded. 

"  Not  only  the  conduct  and  power  of  "Wilkinson,"  he 
continued,  "  but  various  other  circumstances  peculiar  to 
our  present  situation — the  alarm  excited  in  the  public 
mind,  the  description  and  character  of  a  large  part  of  the 
population  of  the  country — might  render  it  dangerous  in 
the  highest  degree  to  adopt  the  measure  usual  in  ordinary 
cases,  of  calling  to  the  aid  of  the  sheriff  the  posse  comi- 
tatus,  unless  it  was  done  with  the  assurance  of  being  sup 
ported  by  the  Governor  in  an  efficient  manner." 

The  letter  concluded  by  requesting  a  precise  and  speedy 
answer  to  the  preceding  inquiries,  and  an  assurance  that 
if  certain  of  'the  Governor's  support,  the  judge  would 
forthwith  punish,  as  the  law  directed,  the  contempt 
offered  to  the  court.  On  the  other  hand,  should  the 
Governor  think  it  impracticable  to  afford  the  required 
aid,  the  court  and  its  officers  would  no  longer  remain 
14 


210  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

exposed  to  the  contempt  or  insults  of  a  man  whom  they 
were  unable  to  punish  or  resist. 

The  same  silence  and  indifference  having  been  observed 
by  the  Governor  toward  the  last,  as  toward  his  former 
communication,  "Workman  resigned  his  office  as  he  had 
before  indicated.* 

Burling,  who  had  been  sent  to  Mexico,  returned,  with 
out  having  accomplished  the  object  of  his  mission.  It 
appears  that,  instead  of  his  being  sent  "  to  penetrate  the 
veil  which  concealed  the  topographical  route  to  the  city 
of  Mexico,  and  the  military  defenses  which  intervened," 
as  alleged  by  Wilkinson,  he  was,  on  the  contrary,  com 
missioned  to  display  to  the  viceroy  the  great  pecuniary 
sacrifices  made  by  that  general,  to  frustrate  the  plan  of 
invasion  meditated  by  the  Ex-Vice-President  against  the 
kingdom  of  Mexico,  and  to  solicit,  in  consideration  of 
such  important  services,  a  pretty  round  sum  of  at  least 
two  hundred  thousand  dollars.^ 

Don  Joseph  de  Yturrigaray  received  this  communica 
tion  with  due  contempt  and  indignation,  bidding  his  in 
terpreter  to  tell  Mr.  Burling  that  General  Wilkinson,  in 
counteracting  any  treasonable  plan  of  Mr.  Burr,  did  no 
more  than  comply  with  his  duty ;  that  he,  the  viceroy, 
would  take  good  care  to  defend  the  kingdom  of  Mexico 
against  any  attack  or  invasion  ;  and  that  he  did  not  think 
himself  authorized  to  give  one  farthing  to  Gen.  Wilkin 
son,  in  compensation  for  his  pretended  services.  He, 
thereupon,  ordered  Burling  to  leave  the  city  of  Mexico, 

*  Martin's  History  of  Louisiana. 

t  Correspondence  of  Maria  Ines  Jauregui  de  Yturrigaray,  Vice-queen. 
Davis' s  Life  of  Burr,  vol.  ii,  p.  401. 


INCREDULITY.  211 

•. 

and  had  him  safely  escorted  to  the  port  of  Yera  Cruz, 
where  he  embarked  for  l^ew  Orleans. 

On  the  seventh  of  December,  previous,  Wilkinson  had 
dispatched  Lieutenant  Swann,  of  the  army,  to  Jamaica, 
with  a  letter  to  the  officer  commanding  the  naval  force 
on  that  station,  informing  him  of  Burr's  plans,  and  that 
a  report  was  afloat  that  the  aid  of  a  British  naval  arma 
ment  had  been  either  promised  or  applied  for :  he  there 
fore  warned  him,  and  all  other  British  military  and  naval 
officers,  that  their  interference,  or  any  co-operation  on 
their  part,  would  be  considered  as  highly  injurious  to  the 
United  States,  and  affecting  the  then  present  amicable 
relations  between  the  two  nations.  The  communication 
concluded  with  a  hope,  that  the  British  government 
would  refrain  from  any  interference,  and  prevent  indi 
viduals  from  affording  aid  to  the  enterprise;  assuring 
him  that  the  writer  would,  with  all  the  force  under  his 
command,  resist  any  effort  of  a  foreign  power  to  favor 
Burr's  projects. 

To  this  Admiral  Drake  replied,  that,  from  the  style 
and  manner  in  which  the  communication  was  written,  he 
was  at  a  loss  how  to  answer  it ;  but  begged  him,  Wilkin 
son,  to  be  assured,  that  British  ships  of  war  would  never 
be  employed  in  any  improper  service,  and  that  he  should 
ever  be  ready  most  cheerfully  to  obey  the  orders  of  his 
sovereign.  Sir  Eyre  Coote  trusted,  and  sincerely  be 
lieved,  the  representations  made  to  Wilkinson  were  to 
tally  groundless,  as  his  letter  contained  the  only  intelli 
gence  received  on  the  subject.* 

*  Martin's  History  of  Louisiana. 


212  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

Bollman  and  Swartwout  were  conducted  to  the  city  of 
Washington  for  trial.  After  having  been  imprisoned, 
for  some  time,  on  the  charge  of  treason,  as  joint-conspira 
tors  with  Burr,  they  were  discharged  from  confinement, 
by  order  of  the  Supreme  Court,  as  the  evidence  was  not 
sufficient  to  retain  them  longer  in  custody. 

Ogden  and  Alexander  were  transported  to  Baltimore, 
as  accomplices  in  the  same  crime.  The  former  of  these 
was  taken  before  a  magistrate,  in  the  city,  and  set  at  lib 
erty  for  want  of  sufficient  proof.  The  latter  was  released, 
in  "Washington,  whither  he  had  been  recently  conducted, 
because  of  the  improper  averment  of  the  offense. 

Blennerhassett,  having  learned  that  Graham,  while  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  island,  had  obtained  the  affidavit  of 
Col.  Phelps,  which,  among  others,  had  been  forwarded 
to  the  President,  addressed  him  the  following  letter : 

DOUGLAS  FERRY,  Feb.  24,  1807. 
J.  GRAHAM,  ESQ.  : 

SIR  : — Having  heard,  from  respectable  authority,  that 
you  have  forwarded  to  the  President  an  affidavit  of  Hugh 
Phelps,  wherein  he  deposed  that  I  had  imparted  to  him 
certain  views  or  objects,  in  which  I  participated  with 
Col.  Burr,  hostile  to  the  United  States,  or  to  some  of  the 
Spanish  dominions,  I  am  naturally  led  to  inquire  how  far 
I  may  inflame  or  abate  the  persecution,  with  which  I  am 
honored  by  the  Government  or  its  agents,  by  proposing 
to  you  to  forward  another  affidavit,  to  the  same  quar 
ter,  deposing  that  Col.  Phelps  had  declared,  soon  after 
the  only  interview  I  had  with  him,  that  I  did  not  commu 
nicate  to  him  the  object.  I  can  not  pretend  to  state  the 


PROTESTATION.  213 

facts  that  may  appear  on  the  face  of  the  affidavits  on 
either  side,  until  such  documents  come  forward,  any  more 
than  the  tenor  of  fifty  other  affidavits  or  testimonies  I 
can  procure  from  my  neighbors  of  respectable  character, 
who  will  testify  to  the  very  contrary  of  what  Col.  Phelps 
has  done — men,  all  of  them,  possessing  my  good  opinion, 
and  believing  Mr.  Phelps  is  the  last  man  in  the  world  I 
would  venture  a  secret  with,  if  I  had  any. 

Provided,  sir,  with  such  means  of  counteracting  the 
evidence  of  Mr.  Phelps,  or  any  other  that  may  be  ad 
duced  against  me,  I  can  have  no  other  solicitude  for  the 
issue  of  an  arraignment  any  where  than  the  intervening 
distress  in  which  my  family  will  be  thereby  involved. 
But  as  this  nor  any  other  consideration  shall  ever  influ 
ence  me  to  shrink  from  investigation,  I  now,  sir,  invite, 
through  you,  all  the  justice  or  persecution  of  the  Grovern- 
•ment.  Why,  or  how,  I  may  have  become  personally  ob 
noxious  to  them,  or  to  yourself,  the  public  may  hereafter 
understand.  But  if  I  am  singled  out  as  an  early  victim 
or  example,  I  shall  wish  not  to  be  severed  from  my 
family,  by  being  thrown  on  board  a  prison  ship,  while  I 
tender  security  for  my  appearance  at  the  city  of  Washing 
ton  or  elsewhere,  whenever  it  may  be  required. 

I  request  your  answer,  and  with  due  consideration, 
I  remain,  sir,  your  obedient  servant, 

HARMAN  BLENNERHASSETT. 

Blennerhassett  was  arrested  and  recognized  to  appear 
at  the  next  District  Court  for  the  Territory  of  Mississippi, 
where  we  shall  leave  him  for  the  present,  to  follow  the 
fortunes  of  Burr. 


214  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 


CHAPTER   XI. 

LATE  at  night,  about  the  last  of  February,  Burr,  with  a 
companion,  arrived  at  a  small  log  tavern,  in  what  is  now 
the  village  of  Wakefield,  in  Washington  county,  Alabama. 
Without  alighting,  he  called  at  the  door,  and  inquired 
of  the  inmates  if  Colonel  Hinson  resided  in  the  neigh 
borhood.  Receiving  for  answer  that  he  did,  they  further 
informed  him  that  the  house  was  seven  miles  distant ;  the 
road  to  be  traveled,  obscure  and  difficult ;  and  a  deep  and 
turbid  creek  lay  in  the  route.  'Nothing  daunted,  he 
eagerly  sought  information  as  to  the  forks,  and  directions' 
as  to  crossing  the  stream.  This  having  been  communi 
cated,  he  put  spurs  to  his  horse,  leaving  the  observers 
involved  in  astonishment. 

Near  midnight,  the  glimmering  of  a  light,  through  the 
distant  trees,  directed  the  travelers  to  the  rude  but  com 
fortable  quarters  of  Colonel  Hinson.  Having  hailed  and 
received  no  answer,  they  dismounted  and  entered  the 
kitchen,  where  the  remaining  embers  in  the  fireplace 
were  soon  kindled  into  a  comfortable  blaze.  Seating 
himself  before  it,  Burr  left  his  companion  to  take  charge 
of  the  horses,  and  had  just  begun  to  feel  comfortable, 
when  he  was  interrupted  by  a  stranger,  who,  he  con 
cluded,  had  ridden  till  late  to  reach  desirable  lodgings. 
But  in  this  he  was  mistaken.  The  real  cause  of  his 


HESITATION.  215 

appearance,  at  this  unseasonable  hour,  originated  in 
Burr's  mysterious  departure  from  the  inn.  As  it  after 
ward  appeared,  Colonel  Nicholas  Perkins  observed,  by 
the  light  of  the  fire,  as  Burr  sat  upon  his  horse,  that, 
although  he  was  coarsely  dressed,  yet  he  possessed  a 
countenance  of  unusual  intelligence ;  an  eye  of  sparkling 
brilliancy ;  and  a  demeanor  wholly  unsuited  to  the  garb 
he  wore.  The  tidy  boot,  in  particular,  which  his  vanity 
could  not  surrender,  with  his  other  articles  of  finer  cloth 
ing,  attracted  Perkins's  attention,  and  led  him  to  con 
clude  that  the  gentleman  before  him  was  none  other  than 
the  famous  Colonel  Burr,  described  in  the  proclamation 
of  the  Governor. 

Perkins  immediately  started  after  Theodore  Bright- 
well,  the  sheriff,  who  occupied  an  adjacent  cabin ;  and, 
awakening  him  from  his  slumbers,  hurriedly  communi 
cated  the  circumstances  of  the  traveler's  appearance, 
conversation  and  departure,  and  requested  him  to  join 
him  in  the  pursuit  of  the  parties.  Bright  well  consented ; 
and  the  two,  mounting  their  horses,  took  the  road  to 
Hinson's.  The  night  was  cold  and  windy,  and  the  moan- 
ings  of  the  lofty  pines,  along  the  solitary  road,  rendered 
their  journey  gloomy  and  inauspicious.  Still  they  pressed 
on;  for  the  object  of  their  pursuit  was  of  no  small  im 
portance,  at  that  particular  time,  to  the  minions  of  the 
Government.  As  they  arrived  in  sight  of  the  illuminated 
dwelling,  Perkins,  recollecting  that  the  travelers  had  seen 
him  at  the  tavern,  declined  entering,  but  sent  Brightwell, 
whom  he  requested  to  return  to  him,  at  a  certain  place  in 
the  woods,  after  he  had  ascertained  whether  or  not  the 
suspicious  individual  was  Aaron  Burr. 


216  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

As  Brightwell  called  at  the  door,  his  voice  was  recog 
nized  by  Mrs.  Hinson,  who  was  his  relative,  and  who 
until  now  had  remained  silent  in  another  room,  through 
fear  of  the  strangers,  in  the  absence  of  her  husband.  She 
soon  prepared  something  to  eat  for  her  unknown  guests. 
As  Burr  seated  himself  at  the  table,  he  thanked  her,  in 
the  most  courteous  terms,  for  her  kindness,  and  apolo 
gized  for  the  trouble  he  had  imposed  upon  her.  His  con 
versation  was  sprightly  and  agreeable,  so  much  so,  indeed, 
that  Mrs.  Hinson  soon  discovered  that  the  gentleman  and 
his  attire  did  not  correspond.  His  attention  was  often 
directed  to  Brightwell,  who  stood  before  the  fire,  and  at 
whom  he  cast  the  keenest  glances,  evidently  endeavoring 
to  read  his  thoughts.  A  momentary  separation  having 
taken  place  during  the  night,  between  Burr  and  his  com 
panion,  at  the  suggestion  of  Brightwell,  the  latter  was 
asked  by  Mrs.  Hinson  if  she  had  the  honor  of  entertain 
ing,  as  her  guest,  the  celebrated  Col.  Burr.  Fearing  to 
make  the  disclosure,  the  man  remained  silent,  and  shortly 
after  left  the  room. 

Early  in  the  morning,  Burr  privately  communicated  to 
Mrs.  Hinson  his  real  name,  and  regretted  the  absence  of 
her  husband,  whom  he  had  seen  at  Natchez,  and  with 
whom  he  had  promised  himself  to  remain  a  week  ;  but 
that,  as  he  was  detected,  he  should  prosecute  his  journey. 

After  inquiring  the  route  to  Pensaeola,  and  Mrs.  Car 
son's  ferry  on  the  Tombigbee,  he  called  for  writing 
materials,  and  indited  several  letters.  His  companion, 
who  had  been  dispatched  on  the  back  route,  for  some 
purpose,  returned  about  nine  o'clock,  and  the  two  again 
set  out  for  the  "  cut-off,''  not  very  far  distant. 


RE-ARREST.  217 

For  some  unaccountable  reason,  which  has  never  yet 
been  explained,  Brightwell  neglected  to  return  to  Per 
kins,  whom  he  left  highly  excited  and  shivering  in  the 
cold.  Having  remained  at  his  post  until  his  patience  was 
exhausted,  and  supposing  that  Brightwell,  probably  on 
account  of  the  fascinations  of  Burr,  or  the  pity  which 
had  seized  him,  in  his  behalf,  had  betrayed  their  plans, 
Perkins  mounted  his  horse,  and  rode  rapidly  to  the  house 
of  Joseph  Bates,  at  Nannanhubby  Bluff,  to  avoid  the 
creek  which  intervened  on  the  main  route  to  Fort  Stod- 
dart.  Here  he  was  furnished  with  a  canoe,  and  a  negro 
to  navigate  it,  and,  descending  the  Tombigbee,  arrived  at 
the  military  station  early  in  the  morning.  The  late  Gen 
eral  Edmund  P.  Gaines  was  then  the  lieutenant  in  com 
mand.  Perkins  briefly  acquainted  him  with  the  particulars 
of  the  preceding  night's  adventure,  and  of  his  suspicions, 
which,  although  of  slight  foundation,  had  nevertheless 
impressed  him  with  solid  convictions  of  truth.  Placing 
himself  at  the  head  of  a  file  of  mounted  soldiers,  the 
lieutenant  started  in  pursuit,  accompanied  by  Perkins. 
They  shortly  encountered  the  object  of  their  search,  with 
his  traveling  companion,  and  the  sheriff,  Brightwell. 
The  parties  having  met,  Lieutenant  Gaines  accosted  one 
of  the  strangers,  remarking,  that  he  presumed  he  had  the 
honor  of  addressing  Colonel  Burr. 

"  I  am  a  traveler,"  answered  Burr, "  and  in  a  strange  land, 
and  do  not  recognize  your  right  to  ask  such  a  question." 

"  I  arrest  you,  at  the  instance  of  the  United  States," 
replied  Gaines. 

"  By  what  authority  do  you  arrest  me,  a  stranger  on 
the  highway,  on  my  own  private  business  ?  " 


218  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

The  lieutenant  then  informed  Burr  that  he  was  an 
officer  of  the  United  States  army,  and  held  in  his  hand 
the  proclamation  of  the  President,  as  well  as  that  of  the 
Governor  of  the  Mississippi  Territory,  directing  his  arrest. 

Burr  asked  him  if  he  was  aware  of  the  responsibility 
of  arresting  a  traveler ;  to  which  Gaines  answered,  that 
he  was  perfectly  aware  of  his  duties,  in  the  premises,  and 
should  endeavor  to  perform  them. 

Burr  then  entered  into  a  brief  argument  to  show  that 
these  proclamations  should  never  have  been  issued,  and 
that  in  following  their  dictates,  the  lieutenant  would  be 
subjecting  himself  to  much  damage  and  blame.  His 
manner  was  firm ;  his  air  majestic ;  and  his  language 
impressive ;  but  the  resolute  young  officer  told  him  his 
mind  was  made  up ;  the  prisoner  must  accompany  him 
to  his  quarters,  where  he  would  be  treated  with  all  the 
respect  due  the  Ex-Vice-President  of  the  United  States, 
so  long  as  he  made  no  attempt  to  escape.  He  was  then 
conducted  toward  Fort  Stoddart,  where  the  parties  ar 
rived  in  the  evening,  and  an  apartment  being  assigned 
the  prisoner,  he  took  his  dinner  alone. 

Late  at  night,  a  groaning  was  heard  in  an  adjoining 
room.  Burr  arose,  opened  the  door,  and  ascertained  that 
George  S.  Gaines  was  suffering  from  severe  indisposition. 
He  approached  the  sufferer's  bed  and  kindly  offered  his 
services,  as  he  had  traveled  much,  and  had  some  knowl 
edge  of  medicine.  They  soon  entered  into  a  sprightly 
conversation  in  regard  to  the  state  of  the  country,  and 
particularly  on  the  subject  of  the  Choctaw  Indians, 
among  whom  Gaines  lived,  as  United  States  factor.  The 
next  day,  being  introduced  to  the  wife  of  the  command- 


A    HARD    ROAD.  219 

ant,  who  was  a  daughter  of  the  late  Judge  Toulman, 
Burr  dined  with  the  family,  and  enlivened  the  company 
with  his  wit  and  elegant  discourse.  In  the  evening,  he 
played  chess  with  Mrs.  Graines,  with  whom  he  was  often 
a  frequent  competitor  in  that  interesting  game.  Of 
nights,  he  sought  the  company  of  the  invalid,  who  be 
came  exceedingly  attached  to  his  society.  During  their 
midnight  conversations,  how  often  would  the  good  heart 
of  his  auditor  grieve  over  the  misfortunes  of  Burr.  But 
it  was  a  remarkable  fact,  that,  as  often  and  long  as  they 
were  together,  this  unfortunate  man  never  once  alluded 
to  his  arrest,  his  troubles,  or  his  future  plans.  From  his 
early  youth,  it  had  been  his  custom  to  conceal  things  in 
relation  to  himself,  and  he  always  endeavored  to  throw 
an  air  of  mystery  over  his  acts. 

After  Burr  had  been  secured,  as  a  prisoner  at  Fort 
Stoddart,  Perkins  departed  for  Wakefield,  and  caused  the 
arrest  of  his  traveling  companion,  who  proved  to  be 
Major  Ashley.  He  was  placed  under  a  guard,  from 
whom  he  escaped  and  made  his  way  to  Tennessee,  where 
he  afterward  made  himself  serviceable  to  his  friend,  in 
collecting  evidence  in  his  behalf  for  the  trial  at  Rich 
mond. 

Three  weeks  had  passed  away  since  the  arrest  of  the 
distinguished  prisoner,  and  still  the  lieutenant  had  been 
unable  to  convey  him  to  the  seat  of  the  general  govern 
ment  for  trial.  The  difficulties  were  great,  and,  for  a 
time,  the  undertaking  appeared  impracticable.  In  those 
days,  there  were  comparatively  no  roads,  no  ferries,  and 
few  men  could  be  found,  in  that  sparsely-settled  country, 
who  would  undertake  a  journey  so  long  and  perilous, 


220  THE  BLENNEKHASSETT  PAPERS. 

over  savage  lands.  The  inclemency  of  the  weather,  at 
that  season  of  the  year,  added  much  to  the  unpleasant 
ness  of  the  tour,  and,  with  many,  formed  an  insuperable 
objection,  as  they  must,  necessarily,  for  want  of  houses 
of  accommodation,  be  exposed,  both  night  and  day,  to 
the  vicissitudes  of  the  month  of  March.  At  last,  Burr 
left  the  fort,  under  guard,  and  proceeded,  in  a  govern 
ment  boat,  up  the  Alabama  river,  into  the  Tensaw  lake, 
accompanied  by  Lieutenant  Gaines,  and  stopped  at  the 
house  of  John  Mills.  The  ladies  of  the  house,  seeing 
the  strait  to  which  Burr  was  reduced,  wept,  through  sym 
pathy  for  his  misfortunes.  One  of  the  number,  it  is  said, 
a  Mrs.  Johnson,  named  her  son  in  honor  of  this  distin 
guished  individual.  He  is  still  alive,  and  is  not  the  only 
boy  bearing  the  name  of  "Aaron  Burr"  in  the  State  of 
Mississippi.  The  ladies  every  where  espoused  his  cause, 
in  the  south-western  JSTew  World.  It  is  a  prominent  and 
noble  trait,  in  female  character,  to  admire  a  man  of  dar 
ing  and  generous  impulses,  and  to  pity  and  defend  him 
in  his  adversities. 

At  the  boat-yard,  in  the  present  county  of  Baldwin,  in 
the  State  of  Alabama,  the  crew  disembarked,  where 
"William  and  John  Pierce  (who  introduced  the  first  cotton 
gins  into  Alabama)  had  a  trading  establishment.  Gaines 
gave  the  command  of  the  guard  to  Perkins,  and  directed 
him  to  convey  the  prisoner  to  Washington  city.  His 
guard  consisted  of  Thomas  Malone,  of  Alabama,  Henry 
B.  Slade,  of  North  Carolina,  two  McCormacks,  of  Ken 
tucky,  and  two  United  States'  soldiers.  They  were  all 
men  whom  Perkins  selected,  and  upon  whom  he  could 
rely  in  any  contingency.  He  took  them  aside,  and  ob- 


IX    THE    FOREST.  221 

tained  the  most  solemn  pledges,  that,  upon  the  whole 
route  to  Washington,  they  would  hold  no  interviews  with 
Burr,  nor  suffer  him  to  escape  alive.  Perkins  knew  the 
fascinations  of  Burr,  and  he  feared  his  familiarity  with 
his  men ;  indeed,  he  feared  the  same  influences  upon  him 
self.  His  character,  for  making  strong  impressions  upon 
the  human  mind,  and  attaching  men  to  him  by  associa 
tion,  was  well  known  to  the  world. 

When  Burr  fled  from  the  authorities  in  the  Mississippi 
Territory,  he  had  disguised  himself  in  a  boatman's  dress. 
His  pantaloons  were  of  coarse,  copperas-dyed  cloth,  with 
a  roundabout  of  inferior  drab.  His  hat,  a  flapping,  wide- 
brim  beaver,  had,  in  times  long  past,  been  white,  but  now 
gave  evidence  of  having  encountered  much  rough  weather. 
Placed  upon  his  fine  horse,  he  bestrode  him  most  elegant 
ly,  and  flashed  his  large,  dark  eyes,  as  though  he  were  at 
the  head  of  his  New  York  regiment.  Each  man  carried 
provisions  for  himself,  and  some  for  the  prisoner.  They 
were  all  well  mounted,  with  no  arms  except  pistols  in 
holsters,  and  two  muskets  borne  by  the  soldiers.  On  the 
last  of  February,  they  set  out  upon  their  long  and  peril 
ous  journey.  Within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  point 
of  departure,  the  dreadful  massacre  at  Fort  Mimms 
occurred  six  years  after.  Pursuing  the  Indian  path, 
which  led  from  the  "  'Bigby  settlement "  to  Fort  Wilkin 
son,  on  the  Oconee,  they  reached  a  point  thirty  miles  dis 
tant  the  first  day.  At  night,  the  only  tent  in  the  company 
was  pitched  for  the  prisoner,  who  reposed  himself  upon 
his  blankets.  The  country  abounded  in  immense  pine 
forests.  Here  the  Ex-Vice-President  lay  the  first  night, 


222  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

before  the  blazing  fire,  which  threw  a  glare  over  the  dis 
mal  woods. 

To  what  an  extremity  had  he  now  been  reduced !  In 
the  boundless  wilds  of  Alabama,  under  a  small  and  com 
fortless  tent,  amid  the  perils  of  Indian  barbarities,  with 
the  cry  of  the  panther,  answered  by  the  howl  of  the 
hungry  wolf  ringing  in  his  ears ;  while  the  moaning  of 
the  winds  through  the  tops  of  the  lofty  trees  added 
dreariness  to  the  solitude  of  the  night ;  with  none  with 
whom  to  hold  converse  ;  surrounded  by  a  guard  to  whom 
he  dared  not  speak ;  a  prisoner  of  the  United  States,  for 
whose  liberties  he  had  fought,  and  whose  Government  he 
had  helped  to  form ;  exiled  from  the  State  of  his  adop 
tion,  whose  statutes  and  institutions  bore  the  impress  of 
his  mind ;  deprived  by  death  of  his  devoted  wife ;  his 
only  child  then  on  a  distant  coast  of  Carolina ;  his  pro 
fessional  pursuits  abandoned,  and  his  fortune  swept  away ; 
the  magnificent  scheme  of  the  conquest  of  Mexico  up 
rooted,  and  the  fragments  dispersed;  slandered  and 
hunted  down,  from  one  end  of  the  Union  to  the  other ; 
these  were  considerations  sufficient  to  weigh  down  an 
ordinary  individual,  and  sink  him  to  an  untimely  grave. 
But  his  was  no  common  mind;  and  the  characteristic 
fortitude  and  determination  which  had  ever  marked  his 
course,  still  sustained  him  in  the  darkest  hour.  In  the 
morning,  he  arose  cheerfully,  and  pursued  his  course. 
Although  guarded  with  vigilance,  his  few  wants  were 
gratified,  as  far  as  they  could  be,  and  he  was  treated  with 
respect  and  kindness.  The  trail  being  narrow  and 
obscure,  Burr  rode  in  the  middle,  having  a  part  of  the 


ON    THE    MARCH.  223 

guard  in  front,  while  the  rest  followed  behind,  in  single 
file.  The  route  lay  about  eight  miles  south  of  the  pres 
ent  city  of  Montgomery,  then  an  Indian  town  called 
Eaconcharte — meaning'  Red  Ground. 

In  the  year  1811,  General  Wade  Hampton  cut  out  the 
"  Federal  Road  "  along  this  trail,  which  was  well  known 
to  early  settlers  as  the  only  highway  in  South  Alabama. 
The  guard  passed  by  the  site  of  the  present  Mount 
Meigs,  and  stopped  at  the  house  of  "Old  Milly,"  the 
former  wife  of  a  British  soldier,  who,  with  her  husband, 
in  1770,  left  the  barracks  in  Savannah  and  came  to  the 
Creek  Nation.  She  had  long  been  a  resident  of  these 
wild  woods,  now  lying  in  the  county  of  Montgomery. 
Her  husband,  at  this  time  a  colored  man,  named  Evans, 
was  employed  by  Perkins  to  pilot  the  party  across  the 
dangerous  creeks,  Lime,  Dubahatchee  and  Calabee,  all  of 
which  they  had  to  swim.  It  was  a  perilous  and  fatiguing 
march ;  and,  for  days,  the  rain  descended  in  chilling  tor 
rents  on  those  unsheltered  horsemen,  collecting  in  rivulets 
and  swimming  them  at  every  point.  Hundreds  of  Indians 
thronged  the  trail,  and  the  party  could  have  been  shot 
down  ;  but  the  fearless  Perkins  bore  on  his  distinguished 
prisoner,  arnid  angry  elements  and  human  foes.  In  their 
journey  through  Alabama,  they  always  slept  in  the 
woods,  near  swamps  of  reeds,  upon  which  the  belled  and 
hobbled  horses  fed  during  the  night.  After  a  hastily- 
prepared  breakfast,  it  was  their  custom  again  to  remount, 
and  march  on,  in  gloomy  silence,  which  was  but  occa 
sionally  broken  by  a  remark  about  the  weather,  the 
creeks,  or  the  horses.  Burr  was  a  splendid  rider,  sitting 
firmly  in  the  saddle,  and  ever  on  the  alert.  He  was 


224  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

always  a  hardy  traveler,  and  although  wet  for  hours, 
with  cold  and  drizzling  rains,  riding  forty  miles  a  day, 
and  at  night  stretched  upon  the  bare  ground,  on  a  thin 
pallet,  yet,  in  the  whole  distance  to  Richmond,  he  was 
never  heard  to  say  that  he  was  sick,  or  even  fatigued. 
At  the  Chattahoochie,  was  a  crossing-place,  owned  by  an 
Indian  named  Marshall.  The  effects  of  the  expedition 
were  carried  over  in  canoes,  while  the  horses  swam  along 
side.  In  this  manner  they  passed  the  Flint  and  Ocmul- 
gee.  At  Fort  Wilkinson,  on  the  Oconee,  they  entered 
the  first  ferry-boat  they  had  seen  on  the  whole  route.  A 
few  miles  further  on,  they  were  sheltered  by  the  first 
civilized  roof — a  house  of  entertainment,  kept  by  one 
Bevin.  While  breakfast  was  preparing,  and  the  guard 
were  seated  around  a  large  fire,  the  host,  like  all  publicans 
on  the  highway,  inquired  from  whence  they  came.  As 
they  were  from  the  "  'Bigby  settlements,"  he  immediately 
fell  on  the  fruitful  theme  of  the  traitor,  Aaron  Burr.  He 
asked  if  he  had  been  taken  ?  "  Was  he  not  a  very  bad 
man  ? "  "  Was  n't  everybody  afraid  of  him  ? "  Perkins 
and  his  party  were  very  much  annoyed  and  embarrassed, 
and  made  no  reply.  Burr  was  sitting  in  a  corner  by  the 
fire,  with  his  head  down ;  and,  after  listening  to  the 
inquisitiveness  of  Bevin  until  he  could  endure  it  no 
longer,  he  raised  himself  up,  and,  planting  his  fiery  eyes 
upon  him,  said : 

"  I  am  Aaron  Burr ;  what  is  it  you  want  with  me  ?  " 
Bevin,  struck  with  his  appearance,  the  keenness  of  his 
look,  and  the  solemnity  and  dignity  of  his  manner,  stood 
aghast,  and  trembled  like  a  leaf.     He  uttered  not  another 
word  while  the  guard  remained  at  his  house. 


.    x 

UNSUCCESSFUL    RUSE.  225 

When  Perkins  readied  the  confines  of  South  Carolina, 
he  watched  Burr  more  closely  than  ever ;  for  in  this  State 
lived  the  son-in-law  of  Burr,  Col.  Alston,  a  gentleman  of 
talents,  wealth  and  influence,  and  afterward  Governor  of 
the  State.  Upon  reaching  the  frontiers  of  Georgia,  he 
endeavored  to  convey  the  prisoner  in  by-roads,  to  avoid 
the  towns,  lest  he  should  be  rescued.  The  plan  was  at 
tended  with  difficulty ;  they  were  lost  often ;  the  march 
impeded ;  and  the  highway  was  again  resumed.  Before 
entering  the  town  of  Chester,  in  South  Carolina,  the 
party  halted.  Two  men  were  placed  before  Burr;  two 
on  either  side,  and  two  behind ;  and,  in  this  manner,  they 
passed  near  a  tavern  on  the  street,  where  many  persons 
were  standing;  while  music  and  dancing  were  heard  in 
the  house.  Burr  conceived  it  a  favorable  opportunity  for 
escape  ;  and,  suddenly  dismounting,  exclaimed : 

"  I  am  Aaron  Burr,  under  military  arrest,  and  claim 
protection  of  the  civil  authorities ! " 

Perkins  leaped  from  his  horse,  with  several  of  his  men, 
and  ordered  him  to  remount. 

"  /  will  not ! "  replied  Burr. 

Not  wishing  to  shoot  him,  Perkins  threw  down  his 
pistols,  and,  being  a  man  of  prodigious  strength,  and 
the  prisoner  a  small  man,  seized  him  around  the  waist 
and  placed  him  in  his  saddle,  as  though  he  was  a  child. 
Thomas  Malone  caught  the  reins  of  the  bridle,  slipped 
them  over  the  horse's  head,  and  led  him  rapidly  on.  The 
astonished  citizens  had  seen  a  party  enter  their  village 
with  a  prisoner ;  had  heard  him  appeal  to  them  for  pro 
tection  ;  had  witnessed  the  feat  of  Perkins ;  and  the 

party  vanished,  before  they  had   time  to  recover  from 
15 


226  THE    BLENNERHASSETT    PAPERS 

their  confusion ;  for,  when  Burr  dismounted,  the  guards 
cocked  their  pistols,  and  the  people  ran  within  the  piazza 
to  escape  from  danger. 

Burr  was  still,  to  some  extent,  popular  in  South  Caro 
lina  ;  and  any  wavering  or  timidity  on  the  part  of  Per 
kins  would  have  lost  him  his  prisoner ;  but  the  celerity  of 
his  movements  gave  no  time  for  the  people  to  reflect,  be 
fore  he  was  far  in  the  outskirts  of  the  village.  Here  the 
guard  halted.  Burr  was  highly  excited ;  he  was  in  tears  ! 
The  kind-hearted  Malone  also  wept  at  seeing  the  uncon 
trollable  despondency  of  him  who  hitherto  had  proven 
almost  iron-hearted.  It  was  the  first  time  any  one  had 
ever  seen  Aaron  Burr  unmanned. 

The  guard  becoming  very  much  alarmed  on  the  subject 
of  Burr's  rescue,  Malone  and  Henry  advised  the  purchase 
of  a  carriage.  The  former  took  charge  of  the  guard, 
while  Perkins  returned  and  purchased  a  gig.  The  next 
day,  Burr  was  placed  in  a  vehicle,  and  driven,  without 
further  incident,  to  Fredericksburg,  Virginia.  Here  Per 
kins  received  dispatches  from  the  President,  requiring 
him  to  convey  the  prisoner  to  Richmond.  The  guard 
took  the  stage,  and  soon  reached  that  place.  The  ladies 
of  the  city  vied  with  each  other  in  contributing  to  the 
comfort  of  Burr.  Some  sent  him  fruit ;  some  clothes ; 
some  wine;  some  one  thing;  some  another.  Perkins 
and  his  men  went  to  "Washington;  were  paid  for  their 
services,  and  returned  to  Alabama,  by  way  of  Tennessee.* 


*  The  foregoing  incidents  are  taken  from  Pickett's  History  of  Alabama. 
With  but  few  exceptions,  I  have  followed  nearly  the  exact  language  of 
the  author. 


IMPLICATION.  227 

Col.  Alston,  finding  himself  deeply  implicated  by  the 
proclamation  of  the  President,  and  mortified  at  the  indis 
cretion  of  Col.  Burr,  to  release  himself  of  the  suspicion 
which  rested  upon  him,  promptly  addressed  the  following 
communication  to  his  Excellency  Charles  Pinckney,  then 
Governor  of  South  Carolina : 

OAKS,  February  6th,  1807. 

DEAR  SIR: — I  have  received  and  read  the  President's 
Message  with  deep  mortification  and  concern;  but  the 
letter  annexed  to  it,  stated  to  be  a  communication  in 
cyphers  from  Col.  Burr  to  Gen.  Wilkinson,  excites  my 
unfeigned  astonishment.  I  solemnly  avow  that,  when 
that  letter  was  written,  I  had  never  heard,  directly  or 
indirectly,  from  Col.  Burr,  or  any  other  person,  of  the 
meditated  attack  on  New  Orleans ;  nor  had  I  any  more 
reason  to  suspect  an  attack  on  that  place,  or  any  other 
part  of  the  United  States,  than  I  have*  at  this  moment  to 
suspect  that  our  militia  will  be  forthwith  ordered  on  an 
expedition  against  Gibraltar.  On  the  other  hand,  I  had 
long  had  strong  grounds  for  believing  that  Col.  Burr  was 
engaged  by  other  objects,  of  a  very  different  nature  from 
those  attributed  to  him,  and  which  I  confess  the  best 
sentiments  of  my  heart  approved.  I  need  not  add  that 
those  objects  involved  not  the  interests  of  my  country. 
Without  adverting  to  that  integrity  of  principle,  which 
even  my  enemies,  I  trust,  have  allowed  me,  can  it  be  sup 
posed  that  a  man  situated  as  I  am — descended  from  a 
family  which  has  never  known  dishonor,  happy  in  the 
affection  and  esteem  of  a  large  number  of  relations  and 
friends,  possessed  of  ample  fortune,  and  standing  high  in 


228  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

the  confidence  of  his  fellow-citizens — could  harbor,  for  an 
instant,  a  thought  injurious  to  the  country  which  was  the 
scene  of  those  blessings?  The  supposition  would  be 
monstrous.  No,  sir ;  it  was  but  a  short  period  before  the 
impression  became  general,  that  apprehended  the  possi 
bility  of  Mr.  Burr's  intentions  being  hostile  to  the  Union ; 
and  the  moment  which  gave  birth  to  that  apprehension, 
gave  birth  to  the  resolution  which  became  a  citizen.  I 
confess,  however,  there  are  times  even  now,  when,  in 
spite  of  the  strong  facts  which  have  been  exhibited,  I  am 
almost  inclined  to  believe  my  suspicions  injurious.  What 
ever  may  be  thought  of  the  heart  of  Mr.  Burr,  his  talents 
are  great  beyond  question,  and  to  reconcile  with  such 
talents,  the  chimerical  project  of  dismembering  the 
Union,  or  wresting  from  it  any  part  of  its  Territory,  is 
difficult  indeed.  I  traveled  through  a  part  of  the  western 
country,  during  the  last  summer,  and  have  no  hesitation 
in  saying,  that  either  of  those  projects  would  have  been 
as  much  reprobated  there  as  in  the  Atlantic  States.  "With 
respect,  however,  to  the  communication  annexed  to  the 
President's  Message,  which  occasions  you  the  trouble  of 
this  letter :  after  my  solemn  assurances  to  you  that  I  had 
never  given  Col.  Burr,  or  any  other  person,  the  smallest 
reason  to  imagine  that  I  could  be  induced  to  engage  in 
any  project  against  my  country,  it  would  be  infinitely 
satisfactory  to  me,  could  I  explain  to  you,  with  the  same 
certainty,  the  motive  which  led  him  to  introduce  my  name 
as  he  did.  But  here,  unfortunately,  all  is  conjecture. 
Two  motives  only  suggest  themselves.  He  imagined, 
perhaps — which,  by  the  way,  he  has  no  right  to  do — that 
his  influence  would  be  sufficiently  great  to  induce  my 


MOTIVE.  229 

assent,  and  thought,  therefore,  he  might  as  well  consider 
it  already  obtained ;  or,  which  is  more  probable,  he  might 
have  imagined,  that  by  the  apparent  concert  of  a  number 
of  persons  from  different  States,  a  stronger  impression  would 
be  made  on  his  correspondent.  Considerable  effect,  too,  was, 
no  doubt,  anticipated  by  Mr.  Burr's  discernment  from  the 
perfect  self-confidence  which  would  have  been  manifested 
by  his  taking  with  him  his  daughter,  receiving  my  co 
operation,  and  thus  embarking  in  the  scheme  the  fortunes 
of  his  infant  grandson,  the  only  relative,  except  his 
daughter,  that  he  has.  But  whatever  the  motive  w^hich 
drew  from  Col.  Burr  the  expressions  contained  in  this 
letter  to  Gen.  "Wilkinson,  facts,  incontrovertible  facts,  prove 
that  he  had  no  authority  for  making  them.  His  daughter 
did  not  go  with  him;  the  navy  of  the  United  States  is  still 
faithful  to  its  duty ;  Commodore  Truxton,  I  am  told,  at 
the  very  moment  he  was  said  to  have  gone  to  the  West 
Indies,  was  in  Philadelphia,  which  I  know  not  whether 
he  has  ever  left ;  and  I,  instead  of  following  with  a  corps 
of  worthies,  am  now  at  my  usual  residence,  ivhere  I  have  been 
ever  since  the  adjournment  of  the  Legislature,  peaceably 
directing  the  plowing  of  my  rice-fields,  and  preparing 
my  lands  for  the  ensuing  crop.  This  is  conclusive.  A 
conspirator  against  the  happiness  and  liberties  of  his 
country  would  have  been,  at  this  moment,  very  different 
ly  employed.  Conspirator!  the  blood  now  burns  my 
cheek,  as  I  write  the  word.  But  I  meant  to  confine 
myself  simply  to  the  disavowal  I  have  made  you,  of  a 
single  action  or  word  hostile  to  my  country.  To  feel 
even  that  disavowal  necessary  is  sufficiently  painful  :  I 
have  yielded,  however,  to  circumstances,  and  made  it. 


230  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

My  unequivocal  manner  of  making  it,  I  trust,  will  not 
leave  a  doubt  upon  one  candid  or  honest  mind.  Still  I 
am  aware  that  the  common  interchange  of  good  offices 
with  a  man  with  whom  I  have  been  kmg  nearly  con 
nected,  may  have  given  rise  to  circumstances  which, 
however  innocent  in  themselves,  malignity  will  delight 
in  distorting,  and  the  illiberal  among  my  political  adver 
saries  exult  in  disseminating.  I  am  aware  that  there  will 
be  men  base  enough ;  for  you  and  I  have,  not  long  since, 
seen  proofs  of  it,  to  whisper  even  the  circumstance  of  my 
connection,  by  marriage,  with  Col.  Burr,  as  a  circum 
stance  warranting  suspicion.  About  the  opinions  of  such 
men  I  am  indifferent.  To  the  more  ingenious  and  better 
part  of  my  fellow-citizens,  of  whatever  sect  or  party,  I 
can  only  solemnly  repeat,  as  I  have  done  to  you,  sooner 
would  I  have  perished  than  harbored  a  thought  sub 
versive  of  the  liberties,  the  happiness,  or  the  integrality  of 
my  country.  Let  me  always  be  judged  by  my  own  acts, 
and  I  shall  be  satisfied.  If  Mr.  Jefferson  or  Gen.  Wil 
kinson  ever  find  any  thing  to  urge  against  me,  let  it  be 
adduced.  My  residence  is  well  known,  and  I  shall  never 
shrink  from  investigation.  Nay  more,  presumption,  where 
I  can  not  repel  it  by  positive  proof,  shall  be  received  as 
good  evidence,  and  the  slightest  suspicion  which  I  can  not 
satisfactorily  explain,  shall  be  admitted  as  guilt. 

I  remain,  my  dear  sir,  with  much  respect  and  regard. 
Yours  always,  JOSEPH  ALSTON. 


REDEEMING   THE    TIME.  231 


CHAPTER    XII. 

BLENNERHASSETT  having  been  arrested  and  discharged 
in  the  Mississippi  Territory,  imagined  no  further  annoy 
ance  from  the  Government.  Feeling  desirous  to  ascer 
tain  the  situation  of  his  property  at  the  island,  which  he 
had  learned  from  his  wife  and  others  was  much  injured 
by  the  proceedings  of  the  Wood  county  militia,  he  left 
^Natchez  in  June,  with  the  intention  of  visiting  it. 

The  following  correspondence  will  advise  the  reader  of 
the  incidents  of  his  journey,  and  afford  satisfactory  in 
formation,  in  the  mean  time,  of  the  situation  of  the 
respective  parties : 

Blennerhassett  to  Mrs.  Blennerhassett. 

GIBSON'S  PORT,  SATURDAY,  June  ~L3th,  1807. 

I  arrived  here  about  half-past  seven  o'clock  this  morn 
ing,  after  having  lost  half  the  day  yesterday  by  lying  by 
at  Greenville,  with  a  headache  too  heavy  to  ride  with.  I 
am  now  perfectly  well,  and  after  losing  to-day  with  the 
Belpre*  folks  here,  and  the  detention  occasioned  by  getting 
little  Bay  shod,  shall  resume  the  journey  this  evening. 

The  road  is  pretty  open,  having  been  lately  cut  out; 
but  I  shall  endeavor,  by  traveling  a  good  part  of  the 
night,  to  make  up  for  whatever  indulgence  of  shelter  or 
rest  I  may  allow  the  horses  and  myself  in  the  day.  I 


232  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

find  the  cap  the  most  comfortable  luxury  I  ever  traveled 
with,  and  think  I  can  adjust  a  simple  handkerchief  about 
my  head  and  face  in  a  way  to  parry  the  musquitoes,  or 
their  more  formidable  companions  the  horse-flies. 

I  have  no  care,  I  assure  you,  for  any  thing  affecting 
myself,  but  through  you  and  my  boys ;  could  I,  then,  only 
be  assured,  that  you  would  be  as  industrious  to  seek  your 
recreation,  and  frequently  shift  the  subject  of  your  labors, 
as  you  are  criminal  in  protracting  the  intervals  of  your 
sedentary  occupations, — that  my  boys  would  not  be  ever 
exposed  to  the  sun  bareheaded  and  barefoot,  my  reflec 
tions  on  my  business,  or  subjects  of  interest  or  amuse 
ment  would  not,  I  protest,  suffer  a  moment's  interruption. 
Improve,  then,  the  blessing  you  did  not  expect,  for  you 
could  never  find  it  on  the  Ohio,  which  a  benignant  God 
has  reserved  for  you  among  strangers,  in  the  generous 
regards  of  so  many  worthy  families  and  individuals  who 
have  become  your  friends.  Farewell ! 

HAR.  BLENNERHASSETT. 

Give  my  particular  love  to  Scott  and  F ,  and  kiss 

Anne  and  the  boys  for  me. 

MRS.  BLENNERHASSETT. 


Blennerhassett  to  Mrs.  Blennerhassett. 

TOCKSHISH,  IN  THE  CHICKASAW  CATION, 

(310  miles  from  Natchez^  June  14*A,  1807. 
I  rest  here  to-day  under  the  most  severe  embarrass 
ments  I  have  suffered  since  I  left  you  ;  namely,  the  state 
of  my  tormented  legs.     The  respite,  however,  is  not  less 
necessary  for  my  horses,  which  have  hitherto  performed 


TRAVEL'S  HISTORY.  233 

very  well.  I  mention  the  condition  of  my  legs  the  more 
freely,  "because  I  know  you  will  not  disregard  such  an 
affliction.  But  whether  from  the  heat  of  the  weather, 
meager,  and  often  scanty  meals,  the  state  of  my  blood 
has  contracted  an  acrimonious  habit  it  never  had  before, 
?t  is  certain  the  myriads  of  musquitoes  and  horse-flies, 
with  the  almost  incessant  perspiration  that  I  suffered  for 
five  days  after  I  left  you,  which  allowed  me  no  repose, 
until  exhaustion  made  me  callous,  and  sleep  now  in  my 
cot,  then  on  the  ground,  prepared  a  revival  of  fresh  sensi 
bility  to  new  sufferings, — all,  I  can  aver,  were  not  more 
intolerable  than  the  anguish  of  my  legs,  which  the  ardor 
of  my  industry  to  prosecute  my  journey  would  not  until 
now  permit  me  to  find  ease,  even  when  at  rest ;  no  doubt, 
chiefly  from  so  much  pendent  motion  on  horseback.  But 
to  that  benignant  Providence,  which  has  so  often  had  mer 
cy  upon  me,  be  rendered  all  gratitude  and  thanksgiving. 
I  shall  make  good  my  journey,  as  I  can  convert  my  eye 
into  a  microscope,  by  which  I  am  enabled,  through  Di 
vine  goodness,  to  make  this  pen  write  to  you.  Through 
the  same  favor  I  shall  pass  unhurt  through  all  the  diffi 
culties  and  dangers  I  may  yet  encounter,  and  I  will  again 
embrace  you  and  our  boys,  or  we  shall  be  indemnified 
hereafter. 

I  omit  to  detail,  at  present,  particulars  of  the  journey 
hitherto.  It  is  true,  women  and  children  perform  it,  for 
women  will  attempt  and  perform  any  possible  undertak 
ing,  and  they  will  not  leave  their  teams  behind ;  but  it  is 
no  less  certain,  that  many  of  them  languish  on  the  way ; 
and  the  hardiest  boatmen,  and  even  Joe,  who  behaves 
admirably,  swear  they  will  never  again  attempt  it  at  this 


234  THE  BLENNEKHASSETT  PAPERS. 

season  of  the  year.  We  are  now,  by  estimation,  about 
215  miles  from  Nashville,  of  which  distance  there  is  about 
fifty  miles  yet  to  pass  through  this  Nation.  We  shall 
take  from  this  place  a  fresh  supply  of  corn  for  our  .horses, 
and  a  recruit  to  our  remaining  provisions,  of  two  quarts 
of  parched  meal.  You  will  see  by  the  map,  we  shall 
then,  when  we  cross  Duck  river,  enter  Tennessee,  where 
we  shall  want  for  nothing.  Water  has  been  tolerably 
convenient  and  palatable  so  far ;  henceforward,  I  am 
told,  it  will  be  very  good  and  plenty.  I  have  had  no 
scruple  in  drinking  heartily  while  contending  with  heat, 
horse-flies,  smoke  and  musquitoes.  How  fondly  have  I 
wished  for  the  solacing  society  of  Harding  and  Russel. 

0  !  how  I  could  walk  then. 

The  Chocataw  country,  for  an  extent  of  250  miles  which 

1  have  passed  through,  has  not  been  altogether  uninter 
esting,  either  from  the  condition  of  the  natives,  who  are 
beginning,  at  least  in  the  vicinity  of  this  path,  to  enter 
somewhat  into  the  pastoral  state,  and  in  some  solitary 
instances,  from  the  example  of  about  one  hundred  white 
men,  settled  through  their  Nation,  exhibit  some  com 
mencements  of  agriculture,  or  from  the   appearance  of 
their   country,   nine-tenths    of    whicli   consist   of    either 
prairies  or  timber  lands,  well  stocked  with  a  variety  of 
fine  grass  and  plants,  which  exhibit  a  pleasing  appearance 
—  from  the  total  freedom  from  brush  and  underwood, 
which  disfigure  all  the  forests  you  have  seen  in  America. 
But  the  Chickasaw  lands,  for  twenty  miles  back  we  have 
traveled  since  we  entered  the  Nation,  deserve,  in  every 
point  of  view,  the  character  of  a  Paradise,  so  far  as  any 
inland  countrv,  without  the  features  of  water  scenery  in 


BISSEL'S  IMPEACHMENT.  235 

its  landscape,  can  claim  it.  Besides  the  beauty  and 
variety  of  the  whole  vegetable  clothing  of  the  country, 
the  clearly  undulating  surface  of  its  woods,  and  the  more 
advanced  progress  of  the  Chickasaws  in  agriculture,  and 
the  domestic  economy  that  provides  for  the  comforts  of 
life,  contrasted,  as  it  is,  with  a  tenacity  of  most  of  their  In 
dian  habits  and  manners,  form  altogether  a  variety  truly 
interesting.  This  people  must,  in  less  than  fifty  years, 
become  as  respectable,  in  the  "  shepherd  state,"  as  they 
have  hitherto  been  in  the  characters  of  the  best  warriors 
of  all  the  tribes  south  of  the  Ohio.  They  have  already 
no  hunting  ground  nearer  to  them  than  the  Mississippi, 
100  miles  distant.  This  circumstance  will  insure  it. 

I  have  heard,  by  the  way,  pretty  consistently,  that  Bis- 
sel  is  impeached,  and  will  probably  suffer  for  his  civilities 
to  Col.  Burr.  Jackson  is  sent  down  to  the  Heights,  or 
Orleans,  to  be  tried  on  a  multitude  of  charges,  and  Ser 
geant  D is  taken  round  by  Wilkinson  to  testify  to — 

God  knows  what. 

When  you  write,  as  you  will,  I  trust,  every  week  until 
first  of  November,  be  careful  to  set  down  nothing  that 
may  not  meet  the  public  eye ;  and  I  think  it  safest  to 
inclose  to  me,  under  cover  to  Gen.  Tupper.  I  trust  you 
will  soon  accustom  yourself  to  the  free  enjoyment  of  all 
the  hospitable  kindness  and  attention  that  will  be  tend 
ered  to  you  from  Natchez  to  Bayou  Sara :  this  is  one  of 
my  best  hopes,  as  I  fear  not  we  shall  be  able  to  find 
opportunities  hereafter  to  requite  the  goodness  of  bur 
friends.  As  I  constantly  meditate  on  the  prospect  of 
your  satisfaction  with  them,  they  all  pass  in  review  of 
my  most  grateful  remembrance.  During  such  moments, 


236  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

however,  my  thoughts  seem  to  soar  on  the  wings  of  fancy, 
to  a  hight  at  which  I  lose  sight  of  all  other  mortals, 
except  the  Scotts ;  while  at  other  intervals  of  my  reflec 
tions,  I  seem  to  gravitate,  like  falling  bodies  through  the 
air,  to  Harding,  as  the  immovable  center  of  your  comfort 
and  protection  during  my  absence.  I  hope  you  got  my 

first  letter  from  Gibson's  Port,  and  my  second  from  C , 

100  miles  back.  I  have  only  time  to  say  again,  God 
bless  you  and  the  boys !  The  post  hurries  me. 

HARMAN  BLENNERHASSETT. 

I  shall  resume  the  journey  before  day,  to-morrow,  7 
o'clock  P.  M. 


From  Mrs.  to  Mr.  Blennerhassett. 

July  6th. 

I  received  your  letter  from  the  Nation,  also  the  one 
previous  to  it,  but  derived  but  little  pleasure  from  the 
general  tenor  of  the  last.  Its  contents  are  too  gloomy, 
and  I  wanted  no  addition  to  the  causes  of  low  spirits  I 
have  experienced  ever  since  you  left ;  for  these,  however, 
I  know  I  am  to  blame.  I  trust  you  are  in  good  health. 
Our  dear,  fine  boys  are  almost  the  only  children  here  who 
keep  well,  and  grow  fat. 

While  I  find  my  society  more  than  ever  courted,  there 
is,  and  will  be  till  you  return,  an  insurmountable  barrier 
to  my  peace  of  mind,  in  the  fear  of  your  becoming  in 
volved  in  private  quarrels.  If  they  can,  with  honor,  be 
avoided,  I  trust  and  pray  they  will. 

I  see  no  reason  for  any  despondency  whatever.  We 
can  undoubtedly  make  a  good  beginning  here,  and,  from 


TREATMENT.  237 

what  I  have  experienced  since  your  departure,  I  am  per 
fectly  satisfied  that  this  climate,  in  summer  as  well  as 
winter,  is  every  way  more  desirable  than  the  one  I  left 
on  the  Ohio,  so  that,  please  God !  our  happiness  is  now 
more  in  our  own  keeping  than  ever  before.  I  trust  your 
limbs  are  already  well;  if  not,  I  wish  you  to  try  the 
leaves  of  the  Jamestown  weed.  You  need  only  take  two 
or  three  of  them,  and,  after  softening  them  a  little  by 
beating  between  the  palms  of  your  hands,  bind  them  well 
on  the  sores,  after  having  first  washed  them  with  sugar 
of  lead.  Repeat  the  dressing  three  times,  and  then  apply 
salve  made  of  sugar  of  lead. 

I  hope  you  will  be  able  to  procure  all  the  things  men 
tioned  on  your  list.  If  you  can,  I  want  you.  to  get  some 
of  the  early  cucumber  that  the  Barnes's  used  to  have  up 
the  Kanawha,  and  bring  every  rare-ripe  peach  tree  which 
can  be  moved  out  of  the  garden,  as  I  find  that  sort  are 
not  grown  in  this  country.  If  Peter  Taylor,  the  gardener 
of  Blennerhassett,  comes,  he  must  bring  every  flowering 
shrub  he  can  move,  or  you  find  room  for. 

I  left  a  pair  of  wafer  (not  waffle)  irons  in  the  kitchen, 
which  I  wish  to  have  again,  if  possible.  Should  it  be 
convenient  to  send  my  side-saddle,  by  safe  hands,  before 
you  come  yourself,  I  hope  you  will  do  so,  as,  perhaps,  I 
may  need  it,  though  I  have,  at  present,  more  carriages  at 
my  service  than  I  can  possibly  use.  I  trust,  however, 
this  state  of  dependence  may  be  removed  by  your  bring 
ing  me  some  sort  of  a  vehicle  on  your  return. 

In  my  next  I  shall  give  you  a  full  account  of  the  way 
in  which  I  have  spent  my  time  since  you  left  me :  mean 
while,  you  can  hardly  calculate  the  attentions  I  receive 


238  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

from  every  one ;  but  Harding  and  the  Scotts  will  ever  be 
foremost  in  real  affection.  Ruple,  I  fancy,  is  on  his  way 
up,  as  is  also  Captain  Leonard. 

I  have  some  prospect  of  exchanging  houses  with  Cap 
tain  Yoss.  He  went  two  days  since  in  pursuit  of  Peter 
Dexter  for  that  purpose,  and  has  not  yet  returned.  Mr. 

H will  manage  the  business  for  me,  and  when  I  have 

completed  moving,  I  shall  take  leave  of  town,  for  two  or 
three  weeks,  for  Second  Creek,  accompanied  by  Miss 
Percy,  who  has  not  yet  been  able  to  join  me,  but  makes 
fair  promises.  Should  she  fail,  Mrs.  Whittle  will  go 
with  me. 

I  have  had  a  most  pressing  invitation  from  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Borlin,  and  am  expected  to  visit  them  when  I  go 
down :  she  is  a  charming  little  woman.  Mr.  Hunt  has 
not  yet  returned,  but  is  expected  daily.  I  have  hired 
Diana  out.  Molly  and  her  Spaniard  do  every  thing  for 
me ;  she  is  very  good,  and  he  the  most  obliging  creature 
in  the  world.  He  stays  here  a  great  deal,  goes  to  market, 
gets  wood,  and  is  said  to  be  a  very  honest  man. 

An  aid  to  General  Wilkinson  met  you  near  the  Nation, 
and  said  you  were  well.  He  also  circulated  a  report,  and 
even  told  Scott,  that  it  was  now  discovered  that  Jefferson 
was  concerned  with  Burr,  and  had  even  given  him  his 
cypher.  Harman  says  I  must  say  they  are  good  boys; 
but  Dominick*  replies,  that  would  be  a  falsehood.  I 
send  you  their  ugly  faces.  Remember  me  with  affection 
to  the  Belpr^  folks.  God  bless  you !  farewell  till  next 

week ! 

M.  BLENNERHASSETT. 

*  The  two  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Blennerhassett, 


ARRIVAL.  239 

P.  S.  I  find  I  must  inclose  this  in  a  wrapper  (envelope), 
as  I  am  too  lazy  to  copy  it,  and  am  hourly  expecting  com 
pany  to  call.  Tell  Peter  Taylor,  if  he  should  not  like  to 
stay  with  us,  he  can,  by  supplying  the  Natchez  market, 
very  soon  make  a  handsome  independence  for  his  family ; 
but  he  had  better  leave  them  where  they  are  for  the 
present,  as  they  will  be  much  healthier,  and  he  can  main 
tain  them  there  for  almost  nothing  compared  to  the  cost 
of  living  here ;  besides,  when  he  deems  it  prudent,  he 
can  have  them  brought  down  at  almost  any  time.  Say  to 
Amy  that  the  boys  speak  every  day  of  her  children,  and 
that  none  of  them  shall  have  reason  to  repent  coming  to 
this  country. 


Blennerhassett  to  Mrs.  Blennerhassett. 

NASHVILLE,  June  29th,  1807,  past  5  P.  M. 

I  arrived  here  about  one  o'clock  this  day,  being  the 
eighteenth  since  I  left  you,  including  about  three  and  a 
half  days,  during  which  I  lay  by ;  namely,  at  Greenville 
and  Gibson's  Port,  nearly  one  and  a  half  days ;  one  at 
Tockshish,  in  the  Chickasaw  Nation,  from  whence  I 
wrote  to  you,  as  I  did  from  Gibson's  Port ;  and  one  more 
a  little  within  the  entrance  of  this  state,  fifty-three  miles 
back,  occasioned  by  the  state  of  the  horses,  all  of  which 
had  completely  given  out  with  fatigue  and  sore  backs. 
It  required  much  address  to  get  here,  even  when  we  did ; 
and  here  we  are  to  remain,  for  five  days  at  least,  to  get 
the  horses  and  my  legs  in  a  condition  to  proceed,  and 
perform  the  remainder  of  the  journey. 

My  entrance  into  the  United  States  has  not  been  very 


240  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

auspicious.  Last  Friday  evening,  soon  after  I  had  passed 
what  is  called  the  line  that  separates  Tennessee  from  the 
"Wilderness,  I  endured,  for  upwards  of  an  hour,  the  heavi 
est  fall  of  rain  I  was  ever  under ;  indeed,  none  ever  fell 
heavier.  Packing  through  mud  in  the  pathway,  covered 
with  six  miles  of  running  water  all  along,  part  of  the 
time  in  the  dark,  I  was  still,  however,  able  to  keep  my 
self  perfectly  dry,  by  passing  my  head  through  a  hole  in 
the  middle  of  my  blanket,  which  hung  on  my  shoulders 
and  covered  me  every-where,  a  contrivance  I  supposed 
myself  indebted  for  to  the  care  Hardings'  servants  have 
had  of  my  great  coat.  The  next  mishap  was  my  last  de 
tention,  fifty-three  miles  back.  The  next  was  meeting  a 
man  yesterday  morning,  about  forty-five  miles  back,  who 
looked  strongly  at  me,  and  passing  by  to  a  man  who  was 
traveling  in  company  with  me,  inquired  of  him  my  name  ; 
then  said  he  had  a  letter  for  me,  but  would  not  deliver  it, 
as  it  lay,  he  said,  in  the  bottom  of  his  saddle-bags.  Had 
Joe  or  I  learned  this  before  we  had  traveled  too  far  to 
turn  back,  we  should  certainly  have  had  the  letter,  one 
way  or  another.  You  will  get  it,  I  hope,  and  forward  it, 
with  any  others  you  receive  for  me,  with  all  possible  dis 
patch. 

Journeying  on  hither,  I  was  much  mortified,  as  I 
stopped  to  breakfast  yesterday,  by  the  perusal  in  a  paper 
of  the  first  proceedings  at  Richmond  against  Col.  Burr, 
which  evince  the  most  rancorous  malice  of  the  Govern 
ment  against  his  life.  But  they  will  be  disappointed  by 
the  negative  and  cautious  conduct  he  has  all  along  pur 
sued.  In  the  course  of  the  proceedings  it  appears  Jefier- 
son's  runners  have  been  industrious  enough  to  ferret  out 


A    DREAM.  241 

Peter  Taylor  and  Jacob  Albright,  to  prove  that  there  was 
a  body  of  armed  men  assembled  on  Blennerhassett's 
Island.  This  may  surprise  you,  but  it  matters  not.  I 
need  not  write  to  you  the  particulars  I  have  further  seen  ; 
they  will  reach  you  by  the  papers  sooner  then  through  me. 
Some  short  time  before  day  this  morning,  my  next  tor 
ment  was  a  dream,  where  I  slept  last  night,  ten  miles 
back,  in  which  I  beheld  our  Harman  fallen  a  victim  to 
the  bite  of  a  dog,  and  you  an  insane  mourner,  wan  and 
sallow,  without  a  tear.  You  know  I  am  sincere  in  deny 
ing  all  virtue  to  dreams,  either  as  cause  or  effect  of  human 
events.  I  therefore  mention  this,  with  every  confidence 
in  God's  mercy,  that  he  will  permit  you  to  tell  me  our 
darling  boy  has  continued  well,  long  after  the  period  of 
my  dream.  But  the  manner  in  which  you  there  appeared 
to  me  has  all  day  long  so  haunted  me,  that  I  wished,  soon 
after  I  got  my  valise  taken  to  my  room,  to  chase  away 
such  a  phantom  with  a  view  of  the  little  Mammy,  when, 
alas !  my  yet  last  and  greatest  misfortune  was  visited 
upon  me — the  treasure,  the  greatest,  after  yourself  and 
the  boys,  I  could  have  in  this  world,  for  if  I  do  not 
recover  it  it  is  irreparable — how  shall  I  mention  it?  I 
lost  your  second  self.  Joe  sets  out  twenty  miles  back 
ward,  to-morrow  early,  in  quest  of  it,  where  we  have 
some  hopes  of  recovering  it.  0  !  had  Mrs.  Alston,  by 
one  of  the  best  impulses  that  ever  actuated  her,  had  she 
purloined  it,  how  consoling  would  be  the  prospect  of  my 
journey,  it  would  animate  me  to  visit  it.  How,  my  love, 
will  you  soothe  this  heaviest  of  my  sorrows?  I  have 
complained  to  you  of  none  until  this  overtook  me.  May 

this  be  the  last  letter  vou  will  receive  from  me  in  such  a 
16 


242  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

state  of  mind  as  I  now  suffer  under ;  may  I  be  blest  with 
the  recovery  of  that  talisman  that  I  now  so  fully  feel 
would  never  fail  to  keep  my  strength  from  falling,  and 
my  hopes  from  becoming  forlorn  in  the  midst  of  all  I 
may  suffer  from  the  malice  of  my  enemies — captivity  or 
death.  Perhaps  it  is  reserved  for  me  to  recover  this  sol 
ace  of  every  trouble  that  I  shall  endure,  until  I  again  em 
brace  you. 

So  far  I  had  written  yesterday.  You  will  feel  with 
what  weight  at  my  heart,  though  I  knew  before  I  sat 
down  this  letter  will  not  leave  this  before  Friday.  To 
day,  Tuesday,  I  have  been  chiefly  occupied — since  I  got 
Joe  off  on  the  greatest  service,  if  successful,  he  can  ever 
render  me — with  further  perusals  of  the  proceedings  at 
Richmond,  up  to  the  6th  instant,  when  Wilkinson  had 
not  arrived,  though  hourly  expected,  as  it  was  supposed 
he  must  have  set  out  three  weeks  sooner  from  Orleans 
than  he  did.  I  hope  your  friends,  Harding  and  Scott, 
will  get  you  the  fullest  accounts  of  the  trial,  from  time  to 
time.  Nothing  can  hardly  interest  you  more.-  You  may 
read  some  things  that  may  alarm  you  for  A.  B.  or  H.  B. ; 
but  I  have  no  doubt  the  rancor  of  Government  will  be 
baffled  in  its  purpose  to  fasten  any  treason  upon  us,  or 
even  a  misdemeanor. 

This  place  appears  very  dull  and  ugly,  but  tolerably 
cheap.  The  inhabitants  are  chiefly  the  offcastings  of 
North  Carolina,  and  I  do  not  know  a  single  face  I  have 
yet  seen.  The  living,  of  course,  at  this  inn,  is  rough  and 
uncomfortable,  except  the  tea  and  coffee,  which  will 
redeem  many  sins  of  the  table  with  me.  But  the  attend 
ance  is  very  bad  every- where,  and  criminal,  where  I  want 


DEATH.  243 

/ 

it  most,  in  the  stables,  at  a  time  when  I  can  not  walk. 
On  this  view  of  my  situation,  I  have  thoughts  of  moving 
six  or  eight  miles  onward  to-morrow,  there  to  wait  for 
whatever  Thursday's  post  may  bring  here  for  me  ;  'and 
endeavor  to  get  the  poor  horses  on,  by  easy  journeys,  as 
well  as  we  can.  It  is  now  almost  nightfall.  I  look  for 
and  dread  Joe's  return  every  hour  to-night.  You  see, 
however,  I  am  lighter  at  heart  than  I  was  yesterday ;  and 
is  not  this  a  crime  in  my  situation,  yet  no-way  mended  ? 
I  had  not  light  to  finish  the  last  sentence  of  Tuesday 
evening,  when  Beaumont,  the  pilot,  who  took  me  over 
the  Falls  in  one  of  Floyd's  boats,  called  upon  me  to  in 
quire  after  him,  and  told  me  Mrs.  F.  had  paid  the  debt 
of  nature,  about  the  middle  of  this  month,  having  left 
behind  her  a  fine  child.  It  is  painful,  but  necessary,  that 
we  should  be  the  messengers  of  these  sad  tidings,  if  they 
have  not  otherwise  reached  him,  because  his  affairs  at 
home  require  his  speedy  return,  his  property  of  every  sort 
depending  only  on  the  care  of  a  negro  wench. 

Yesterday,  I  spent  the  whole  day  in  perplexing  anxiety 
for  Joe's  absence,  and  the  care  of  my  unfortunate  legs, 
on  which  it  is  not  only  misery  to  walk,  but  even  to  put 
them  on  the  ground  for  a  moment.  They  also  prevent 
my  rest  a  considerable  part  of  the  night.  Nothing  seems 
to  succeed  but  close  bandaging  from  the  toe  to  the  knee, 
which  I  have  again  resorted  to.  Up  to  this  moment,  "Wed 
nesday  noon,  July  2d,  we  have  no  intelligence  of  the  thief 
who,  we  doubt  not,  stole  my  treasure.  I  have  more  than 
one  runner  out  after  him  ;  have  offered  ten  dollars,  and 
would  not  depart  hence,  if  myself  and  horses  were  able, 
till  all  chance  was  hopeless.  Joe  has  returned,  after  a 


244  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

fruitless  and  unremitting  search  for  him  of  forty  hours.    I 
hope  Russell  has  returned,  and  is  received  as  he  deserves. 

Assure  Kitty  I  cordially  wish  her  no  worse  a  husband 
than  would  write  to  her,  and  feel  for  her,  after  thirteen 
years'  trial,  as  I  do  for  you.  I  depend  upon  his  vaccinating 
Harman,  and  attending  you  all  three,  if  necessary.  The 
state  of  your  chest,  I  rely  on  your  solemn  promise  to  me, 
has  surely  been  submitted  to  him,  and  I  hope  he  has  lost 
no  time  to  administer  every  palliative  and  preventive  he 
could  best  imagine.  My  concern  for  your  keeping  the 
boys'  heads  and  feet  always  covered,  I  can  never  cease  to 
dwell  upon  and  repeat. 

I  must  leave  you  for  some  sort  of  dinner.  God  grant 
I  may  be  able  to  add  one  more  pleasing  line  than  any  I 

have  yet  written,  before  the  mail  closes  this  evening. 

Well,  "par  hazard,"  I  have  made  a  better  dinner  than 
any  I  have  had  yet  in  this  place,  i.  e.,  the  first  bit  of 
wheaten  bread  I  could  eat,  and  one  cut  of  good  mutton, 
well  roasted.  But  does  this  ennui  afflict  a  man  who  was 
satisfied  and  cheerful,  after  forty -five  miles'  ride,  with  half 
a  tin-cup  of  water-gruel  twice  a  day,  in  an  Indian  wilder 
ness  ?  Have  I  only  returned  into  what  is  called  civilized  so 
ciety,  to  wish  myself  out  of  it?  Much  have  I  projected  to 
execute  of  that  active  exertion  which  Harding  so  kindly 
urged  me  to.  But  I  am  now  a  cripple,  without  a  leg  to 
stand  upon,  or  a  mind  capable  of  emerging  from  that  sea 
of  trouble  in  which  it  has  sunk  so  deeply.  I  shall,  how 
ever,  wait  the  news  next  Monday's  mail  may  bring  from 
the  eastward.  It  is  not  impossible  some  tidings  may 
arrive  to  determine  me  hence  westward,  even  direct  to 
the  chance  of  an  asylum,  under  the  government  of  Grand 


PROMISE.  245 

PrS ;  for  I  have  little  doubt  Jefferson-,  if  he  can  not 
effect  our  ruin  by  our  conviction,  will  seek  it  by  harrass- 
ing  us  to  beggary.  I  think  if  I  should  oe  prosecuted 
with  the  virulence  that  has  marked  the  proceedings 
against  Burr,  my  acquittal,  by  the  trouble  and  expense 
that  would  be  incurred  to  obtain  it,  would  be  worth  little 
more  than  a  condemnation.  One  thing  is  certain,  I  shall 
take  nothing  from  you  to  fee  lawyers.  I  shall  have  none 
that  may  not  volunteer  their  assistance.  So  you  will 
have  another  short  letter  from  this  place,  or  its  neighbor 
hood,  to  announce  to  you  upon  what  terms,  and  in  what 
temper,  I  leave  it:  my  anxiety  augments  largely  for  fre 
quent  and  long  letters  from  you. 

I  trust  you  have  long  since  left  the  Chateau  of  Poin- 
dexter,  and  have  previously  made  every  necessary  ar 
rangement  for  a  regular  intercourse  with -the  Post-office 
at  Natchez.  I  hourly  expect  Col.  Panil,  whom  I  over 
took  and  passed  by  150  miles  back,  without  seeing  him. 
I  wish  he  was  come  to  break  in  upon  my  ennui.  I  have 
nothing  to  comfort  me  but  this  last  refuge — hope.  All 
this  tumult  of  my  heated  head — has  it  been  kindled  by 
you,  or  a  trinket  ?  God  bless  you  all  three,  and  all  our 
good  friends.  The  mail  is  near  closing.  Adieu. 

HARMAN  BLENNERHASSETT. 


Blennerhassett  to  Mrs.  Blennerhassett. 

NASHVILLE,  Sunday,  July  6th,  1807. 
As  I  am  very  anxious  to  leave  this  to-morrow  evening, 
after  I  shall  peruse  whatever  I  may  find  interesting  by 
the  mail,  which  may  occupy  me  the  best  part  of  the  day, 


246  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

I  now  use  that  time  it  might  cost  me  to-morrow  to  tell 
you  my  legs  are  now  nearly  quite  well,  which  I  am  in 
debted  for,  to  a  week's  rest,  and  the  most  careful  skill  I 
possess.  Col.  Panil  arrived  here  on  Friday  evening, 
much  improved  in  his  looks  by  his  long  journey,  in  which 
he  did  not  distress  himself  by  hard  riding,  whatever  he 
might  otherwise  have  suffered  from  insects  and  hot 
weather.  He  eats  like  a  dray-horse,  and  can  not  find  a 
single  complaint,  in  the  catalogue  of  all  human,  bodily 
infirmities  to  appropriate  to  himself.  There  is  one  there, 
however,  which,  though  he  will  not  see  it,  or  utter  its 
name,  has  fastened  pretty  hard  upon  him.  Hypochon 
dria  has  marked  him  for  her  own,  and  he  will  sink  under 
her,  unless  he  abandons  his  plantation  near  Natchez.  I 
have  been  so  far  particular,  that  you  may,  if  you  have  an 
opportunity,  convey  to  his  family  a  more  unbiassed 
sketch  of  his  situation,  than  they  will  probably  receive 
from  himself. 

By  a  private  arrival  here  to-day,  I  collect,  by  calcula 
tion  on  the  intelligence  by  way  of  Knoxville,  Wilkinson 
had  arrived  at  Richmond,  but  did  not  probably  get  there 
before  the  17th  or  18th  ultimo.  It  is  most  likely  the 
grand  jury  has  been  detained  to  the  period  of  his  arrival. 
I  hope  to-morrow's  papers  will  afford  more  satisfaction. 
Have  you  really  missed  writing  to  me  by  two  mails  that 
have  left  Natchez  since  I  came  away,  without  your  hav 
ing  been  prevented  by  something  you  could  not  obviate. 
Judge  of  my  mortification  to  see  Col.  Panil  read  letters 
from  home  of  23d,  while  I  was  looking  over  Natchez 
papers  of  the  same  date^,  after  I  had  left  you  on  the  llth. 
Tt  will  give  me  five  days'  work  to  get  to  Lexington,  say 


LAST    REFUGE.  247 

200  miles,  with  horses  in  the  condition  of  mine  ;  and,  as 
I  shall  endeavor  not  to  delay  there  longer  than  two  days 
to  rest  the  horses,  I  fear  I  have  little  chance  of  hearing 
from  you  before  I  reach  Marietta ;  so  little  have  you 
cared,  or  so  unhappily  have  you  been  forbidden  to  use 
the  time  which  is  past.  You  will  surely  need  no  further 
hints  of  this  sort.  I  hope  you  have  not  suffered  the 
idolatrous  grief,  with  which  I  filled  my  last  letter,  to 
affect  you  much.  It  was  a  weakness  in  me  to  pour  the 
melancholy  effusions  of  my  heart  into  your  breast ;  but 
how  could  I  resist  so  natural  a  remedy  for  my  pain  ? 
While  I  possessed  your  image,  I  did  not  feel  how  really  I 
was  an  idolater.  When  my  hard  fortune  deprived  me  of 
it,  I  could  see  nothing  in  the  loss  so  lively  as  the  image 
of  your  death.  Hence,  hope,  my  last  refuge,  led  me  to 
dwell  upon  yourself;  besides,  I  thought  you  could  not  be 
afflicted  by  my  misfortune  as  I  am.  Joe,  and  others,  are 
out  still,  and  yesterday  I  again  advertised  in  the  paper, 
and  am  not  absolutely  in  the  abandonment  of  despair  to 
recover  my  treasure.  I  already  feel,  however,  time  will 
wear  out  the  impression  of  this  calamity,  as  it  effaces  all 
others.  So  far  in  my  fifth  letter,  which  I  will  continue 
to-morrow. 

The  mail  arrived  late  this  morning,  Monday,  7th,  and 
brings  no  Richmond  papers.  I  have  seen,  however,  a 
Virginia  paper  of  the  12th  ultimo,  by  which  it  appears 
that  Burr  had  applied  to  the  court  for  a  "  subpena  duces 
tecum"  directed  to  the  President,  requiring  him  to  appear 
as  a  witness,  and  bring  along  with  him  a  letter,  he  stated 
in  one  of  his  messages  to  Congress  to  have  received  from 


248  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

Wilkinson,  which  letter  has  not  yet  been  made  public. 
The  chief  justice  doubted  of  the  power  of  the  court  to 
order  the  personal  attendance  of  the  President,  and  fixed 
upon  the  next  day  to  have  his  mind  made  up,  by  an  argu 
ment  on  the  motion. 

It  has  rained  so  hard,  by  frequent  and  heavy  showers 
all  day,  that  I  should  not  have  set  out  at  any  rate.  To 
morrow  I  shall  be  accompanied  by  a  Doctor  Floyd,  the 
husband  of  the  ci-devant  Miss  Preston.  We  shall  be 
together  better  than  half  the  way,  when  he  will  strike 
oft*  to  Louisville.  Since  writing  the  above,  I  have  seen 
some  lengthy  articles  of  further  proceedings  at  Richmond, 
which  you  may  first  learn,  and  inform  Harding,  etc.,  that 
Burr's  motion  has  been  granted,  after  great  and  splendid 
exertions  by  himself  and  his  counsel,  particularly  Edmond 
Randolph,  and  that  the  celebrated  original  cypher  letter 
is  not  forthcoming,  having  been  said  to  be  lost ;  that 
Randolph  (Edmond)  said  in  court,  "  Wilkinson,  in  a  few 
weeks,  would  be  in  the  rank  of  a  private  citizen  ; "  and 
that  from  private  letters  received  here,  it  is  believed,  that 
immediately  after  the  trial,  he  will  have  to  settle  his  pri 
vate  accounts  with  Gen.  Jackson,  and  four  or  five  other 
persons.  I  have  also  seen  a  detailed  account  of  the  object 
and  issue  of  a  Mr.  Burling's  mission  to  Mexico,  by 
which  it  appears  he  was  chiefly  sent  to  insure  the  balance 
of  $300,000,  of  which  Wilkinson  had  before  received 
$120,000,  transported  from  St.  Antoine  to  his  quarters  on 
mules,  in  the  night.  On  the  whole,  Mr.  Jefferson  and 
his  party  must  be  ruined,  by  the  support  they  have 
afforded  Wilkinson,  even  if  it  were  possible  Burr  could 


PROPERTY    ATTACHED.  249 

be  convicted  of  any  thing.  Farewell,  my  love !  if  I  do 
not  write  again  on  the  road,  I  shall  immediately  on  reach 
ing  Lexington. 

HARMAN  BLENNERHASSETT. 
Monday,  12  at  night. 


RICHMOND,  June  8th,  1807. 

DEAR  SIR  : — Your  favor  of  February  last  was  received 
by  me  a  few  days  before  I  left  Marietta  for  Richmond. 
I  most  sincerely  regret  that  a  service  of  foreign  attach 
ment,  of  the  20th  of  February,  has  placed  such  of  your 
property  as  was  under  my  control  out  of  my  power.  The 
writ  was  served  on  account  of  Miller,  of  Kentucky ;  and 
Sanders,  of  Kentucky,  has  since  filed  in  a  claim.  A  writ 
of  foreign  attachment  has  also  been  served  on  D.  Wood- 
bridge,  Esq.,  attaching  the  claims  you  had  upon  him ; 
and  all  your  movable  property  at  the  "Island"  is  at 
tached.  A  certificate  from  the  sheriff  follows,  by  which 
you  will  perceive  that  property  of  every  description  in 
my  hands  was  attached : 

.  "  I  do  hereby  certify,  that  on  the  20th  day  of  February, 
1807,  I  served  a  writ  of  foreign  attachment  on  D.  Wood- 
bridge,  as  garnishee  of  H.  Blennerhassett,  attaching  all 
the  lands,  tenements,  goods,  rights  and  credits,  moneys 
and  effects,  which  the  said  Blennerhassett  might  have  in 
his,  the  said  Woodbridge's  hands,  or  possession. 

"  JOHN  CLARK,  Sheriff. 

"  County  of  Washington,  State  of  Ohio." 

The  inclosed  letters,  with  one  which  I  shall  lodge  in 


250  THE  BLENNEKHASSETT  PAPERS. 

the  Post-office  at  the  same  time  with  this,  I  took  the  lib 
erty  of  opening  in  February,  just  as  I  was  going  over  the 
mountains,  thinking  they  might  require  some  attention 
and  answers.  I  should  have  sent  them  to  you  long  since, 
but  did  not  know  where  to  direct  them.  You  will  receive 
here,  with  your  account,  a  letter  from  Col.  Gushing,  which 
makes  a  different  package,  but  will  be  put  in  the  office  at 
the  same  time.  I  expected  to  have  seen  you  at  this  place. 
The  report  in  our  country  was,  that  you  were  arrested, 
and  were  to  have  your  trial  at  Richmond.  I  should  think 
it  much  better  for  your  interest,  if  you  do  not  return  to 
the  Island,  to  have  an  attorney  vested  with  full  powers, 
to  attend  to  your  business  in  Marietta  and  Virginia. 
Your  property  has,  and  will  continue  to  suffer  very  much, 
unless  you  have  a  person  authorized  to  attend  to  it.  You 
probably  heard  from  Col.  Gushing,  that  your  negroes  had 
left  Virginia,  and  were  strolling  about  on  our  side  of  the 
river ;  that  Barker,  in  consequence  of  a  letter  of  yours, 
of  the  9th  December,  had  recovered  about  $400  for  the 
work  done  on  four  unfinished  boats,  although  he  had 
offered  before  to  take  from  me  $200,  which  circumstance 
was  known  to  James  Wilson ;  that  the  Neals  and  Phelps 
had  recovered  a  considerable  sum  against  you,  to  satisfy 
which  demands,  Ransom,  and  a  greater  part  of  your  mov 
able  property  on  the  Island,  was  sold.  I  can  not  give 
you  any  particulars  relating  to  these  transactions,  as  I 
was  over  the  mountains  from  February  until  May,  and 
the  day  I  arrived  at  home  was  subpoenaed  to  attend  Col. 
Burr's  trial,  at  this  place.  Buell  has  gone  on,  under  the 
direction  of  the  Government,  to  sell  such  a  part  of  the 
pork,  meal,  etc.,  etc.,  as  he  attached,  and  the  boats  are 


NO    POLITENESS.  251 

fitting  up  to  take  the  United  States'  troops  to  St.  Louis. 
"Wishing  yourself  and  family  much  happiness,  I  am, 
Your  obedient  servant,  D.  WOODBRIDGE. 


Mrs.  Blennerhassett  to  Blennerhassett. 

I  can  scarcely  express  the  joy  communicated  to  me  by 
your  last  letter  from  Nashville.  Thank  God,  the  anxiety 
of  your  mind  is  somewhat  relieved.  I  have  little  doubt 
that  Col.  Pannil's  hypochondria  did  you  more  service 
than  even  a  cheerful  companion  could  have  done.  What 
a  misfortune,  in  your  state  of  mind,  not  to  have  got  the 
letter  which  Mr.  Tyrrel,  of  this  place,  passed  you  with 
in  his  saddle-bags.  I  now  inclose  it,  and  hope  by  this 
time  the  attachments  may  be  in  a  fair  way  to  be  taken 
off  our  poor  property.  I  inclose  every  other  letter  I  have 
received,  except  one  from  D.  Wbodbridge  and  one  from 
Col.  Gushing,  as  I  trust,  long  before  this  reaches  you, 
you  will  have  seen  them  both.  I  feel  greatly  for  the  im 
pression  which  must  be  made  on  you  by  the  present  state 
of  the  Island ;  but  think,  my  dear  husband,  how  thankful 
we  may  be  to  have  preserved  the  health  of  our  dear  boys, 
and  also  yours,  during  such  a  dreadful  journey. 

Col.  Burr  has  every  thing  in  his  favor,  and  I  now  think 
will  never  let  us  sustain  any  eventual  injury.  You  can't 
think  with  what  joy  and  pride  I  read  what  he  says  of  his 
daughter.  I  never  could  love  one  of  my  own  sex  as  I  do 
her :  how  can  she  live  with  such  a  man  as  Alston?  You 
see  he  has  not  had  humanity,  or  even  politeness  enough, 


252  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

to  answer  your  letter.  I  did  not  write  the  mail  after 
your  departure,  and  the  week  following.  Thought  the 
surest  way  for  my  letter  to  reach  you  would  be  to  write 
to  Lexington.  I  wish  I  had  calculated  better,  but  trust 
your  uneasiness  is  long  since  removed.  After  I  wrote 
last  week,  I  went  to  spend  some  time  with  the  Scott's ; 
but  after  leaving  town,  I  learned  of  the  arrival  of  a 
French  Consul,  who  wished  to  rent  my  house.  Mrs. 
Whittle — to  whom  I  am  under  the  greatest  obligations — 
was  confined  with  a  pleurisy.  I  was  therefore  under  the 

necessity  of  spending  a  day  at with  her,  and  took 

that  opportunity  of  engaging  half  of  James  Moon's 
house,  on  the  condition  that  if  he  had  an  offer  for  the 
whole,  he  was  to  give  me  the  refusal.  Mrs.  Whittle  keeps 
possession  of  the  other  half,  where  she  will  reside  a  good 
deal  when  recovered,  which  I  hope  will  be  soon,  as  she 
was  much  better  yesterday,  which  I  spent  with  her.  "We 
are  to  go  together  to  Second  Creek,  where  I  have  press 
ing  invitations  from  Berling's  family  to  visit,  but  I  am  in 
doubt  whether  I  ought  to  go  there ;  I  will  consult  my 
valuable  friend  and  adviser  on  all  occasions.  Poor  man ! 
he  has  much  anxiety  about  Winthrop,  who  has  constant 
returns  of  pleurisy,  and  as  he  is  cutting  two  back  teeth, 
we  are  in  hopes  they  are  the  cause  of  his  illness.  My 
visit  to  Scott's,  you  see,  was  curtailed,  as  I  went  out  on 
Monday  evening,  and  returned  on  Thursday,  when  I  saw 
the  gentleman  whose  name  I  do  n't  yet  know ;  referred 
him  to  Harding,  saying  my  rent  would  be  the  same  I  paid 
myself,  and  he  might  have  the  place  for  the  continuance 
of  my  lease.  I  then  went  home ;  about  the  middle  of  the 


REMOVAL.  253 

day,  Thursday,  had  all  my  things  packed  up,  and  many 
of  them  removed  that  evening.  The  rest  I  had  here,  and 
next  morning  took  possession  of  my  new  habitation, 
which  was  in  such  disorder  that  it  took  me  two  days, 
with  the  assistance  of  Molly  and  her  hushand,  to  settle 
myself,  so  that  altogether  I  underwent  much  fatigue; 
but,  thanks  to  my  constitution,  I  am  recovering  from  a 
bad  cold,  received  from  exposure  when  heated,  and  pains 
in  all  my  limbs,  occasioned  by  my  violent  exertions,  and 
being  too  tired  to  sleep  for  three  nights ;  but  yesterday  I 
rested  well  with  Mrs.  Whittle,  and  last  night  slept  sound 
ly.  I  have  this  day  put  Dominick  to  a  most  excellent 
school  in  town,  in  a  healthy,  airy  place.  Thanking  God 
for  every  thing,  our  situation  is  a  Paradise  to  the  one  we 
left ;  you  will  soon  feel  the  benefits  of  it;  't  is  impossible 
here  to  feel  heat  at  any  hour  of  the  day,  and  I  have  every 
convenience  around  me,  but  still  I  miss  the  Island. 

Harman  says,  "tell  'Pappy'  I  am  a  very  good  boy." 
Dominick  has  just  returned  from  school  to  dinner.  He 
bids  me  tell  you  how  he  loves  you;  he  has  come  home 
quite  pleased,  though  Mr.  Harding  and  I  left  him  crying 
at  school.  The  schoolmaster's  name  is  Graham,  and  it 
seems  he  had  taken  it  into  his  head,  "  it  was,  as  he  said, 
that  Graham  who  was  bad  to  Col.  Burr  and  us."  You 
must  'know,  I  have  lately  learned  from  Col.  Scott  that 
Graham  actually  proposed  to  him  to  invite  Col.  Burr  to 
his  plantation,  and  when  there,  under  the  shelter,  as  it 
might  be  supposed,  of  his  honor  and  hospitality,  to  pro 
cure  good  horses,  and  kidnap  him  off  to  the  Federal  city. 
Col.  Scott  made  answer/  that  he  already  had  done  his 


254  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

duty,  under  the  command  of  "Wilkinson,  by  going  to 
Cole's  Creek,  and  would  do  nothing  more.  He,  Scott, 
was  rather  intoxicated  when  he  told  me  this.  God  bless 
you !  M.  BLENNERHASSETT. 

HARMAN  BLENNERHASSETT,  ESQ. 


Burr  to  Blennerhassett. 

RICHMOND,  May  21st,  1807. 
H.  BLENNERHASSETT,  ESQ.  : 

I  have  barely  time,  by  the  opportunity  of  Mr.  Tyrrell, 
to  assure  you  and  Mrs.  Blennerhassett  of  my  devoted 
attachment  and  regard,  and  to  express  my  sympathy  for 
all  the  vexations  you  have  encountered.  Mr.  Tyrrell  will 
tell  you  of  all  the  strange  things  which  are  passing  here. 
Of  the  bills,  the  first  which  you  indorsed  has  been  paid 
by  Mr.  Alston.  The  $10,000  indorsed  at  Lexington  are 
in  the  hands  of  an  agent  with  whom  I  am  in  negociation 
at  this  place.  That  which  was  left  with  Mr.  Luckett  has 
not,  to  my  knowledge,  been  negociated.  Within  a  few 
months  after  my  release  from  this  place,  I  may  hope  to 
be  in  cash  for  all  these  and  some  other  purposes. 

May  God  preserve  you  and  yours  in  health  and  spirits. 

A.  BURR. 

If  you  should  not  go  on  the  Washita  lands,  would  you 
like  a  conveyance  of  the  quantity  promised  to  you.  Tell 
Mrs.  B.  that  the  one-half  of  every  letter  I  receive  from 
my  daughter  is  concerning  her.  Affectionate  regards 
and  grateful  acknowledgments  to  our  learned  and  amiable 
friend  Harding. 


ERRONEOUS    JUDGMENT.  255 

Alston  to  Blennerhassett. 

OAKS,  June  22d,  1807. 

DEAR  SIR  : — You  perceive,  from  the  very  first  word  I 
have  written,  that  I  address  you  with  the  same  feelings 
with  which  we  parted.  There  are  certain  expressions  in 
your  letter  of  April  last,  which,  if  you  recollect,  you  must 
acknowledge,  are  not  calculated  to  conciliate  :  they  spring, 
however,  so  manifestly  from  a  zealous  attachment  to  Col. 
Burr,  and  a  misapprehension  of  my  feelings,  that  they 
have  produced  none  of  those  sensations  which,  under 
different  circumstances,  they  would  not  fail  to  excite.  I 
pass  them  over,  too,  the  more  readily,  as  I  am  persuaded 
from  your  temper,  the  moment  of  discovering  your  error 
will  be  the  moment  of  regret  at  having  indulged  it. 
Suffer  me  then  to  assure  you,  I  have  inflicted  none  of 
those  wounds  upon  my  "  friends  or  relatives  "  which  you 
apprehend.  Col.  Burr  feels  that  he  has  not  the  smallest 
grounds  of  resentment  against  me ;  he  is  perfectly  satis 
fied  ;  nor  does  there  exist  a  shadow  of  that  animosity 
between  us  that  you  deprecate.  The  fact  is,  from  not 
having  a  view  of  the  whole  ground,  you  have  judged 
precipitately  and  erroneously  of  my  error,  in  giving  faith 
to  the  letter  attributed  to  Col.  Burr  by  Gen.  Wilkinson, 
I  have  long  been  satisfied  from  several  quarters.  Noth 
ing  but  the  shape,  apparently  so  unquestionable,  in  which 
it  came,  could  have  gained  it  credit  with  me,  for  a  mo 
ment.  These  things,  however,  will  shortly  be  put  to 
rights.  As  soon  as  the  trial,  now  pending  at  Richmond, 
is  over,  the  event  of  which,  I  am  persuaded,  can  not  but 
be  favorable,  Col.  Burr  will  be  with  us.  A  letter  from 


256  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

him,  of  the  12th  instant,  announces  health,  spirits  and 
confidence.  Your  letter  was  received  the  beginning  of 
the  present  month,  and,  but  for  the  necessity  of  ascertain 
ing  the  intentions  of  Col.  Burr  upon  the  subject  of  it, 
should  have  been  acknowledged  immediately.  I  for 
warded  it  to  him  directly,  and  have  just  heard  from  him. 
He  informs  me  that  the  bill-holders  have  instituted  no 
suit  against  you,  but  are  at  present  expecting  payment 
from  him;  that  he  has  hopes  of  shortly  effecting  an 
arrangement  by  which  he  shall  be  able  to  meet  the  bills 
himself,  which  will,  of  course,  relieve  you,  and  render  a 
reference  to  me  unnecessary.  He  adds,  that  a  gentleman, 
as  agent  for  him,  was  to  set  out  in  a  few  days  for  the 
western  country,  through  whom  you  should  hear  further 
and  more  amply  upon  the  subject.  These  expectations 
of  Col.  B.,  I  trust,  will  be  accomplished.  I  have  this  day 
written  to  him,  making  certain  offers  which,  I  hope,  will 
facilitate  them  ;  but  should  they  unfortunately  fail,  I  shall 
certainly  consider  myself  bound,  both  in  honor  and 
justice,  to  fulfill  my  engagement  to  you.  The  total 
failure  of  my  crop,  caused  by  the  storm  of  last  fall,  has 
occasioned  me  a  temporary  embarrassment;  but  should 
your  reimbursement  devolve  upon  me,  I  shall  cheerfully 
make  any  arrangement  for  a  settlement  which  may  prove 
satisfactory  :  the  troubles  and  vexations  you  have  under 
gone,  the  dreadful  solicitudes  and  painful  situation,  so 
long  endured  by  your  amiable  family,  have  my  liveliest 
sympathies.  The  energy  of  mind,  which  distinguishes 
Mrs.  Blennerhassett,  has  had  a  painfully  ample  field  for 
exertion ;  but  the  storm  is  past,  and  better  moments,  I 
trust,  are  about  to  arrive.  Of  the  friendly  attentions  and 


INDISPOSITION.  257 

unremitting  hospitalities  received  from  you  during  our 
tour  through  the  western  country,  allow  me  to  assure  you 
of  my  grateful  recollections.  Were  it  within  the  scope 
of  probabilities,  I  need  not  tell  you  how  much  pleasure 
the  presence  of  yourself  and  family,  at  the  Oaks,  would 
give  us.  Tender,  I  pray  you,  to  Mrs.  Blennerhassett,  my 
profound  and  most  friendly  respects. 

Believe  me,  with  much  esteem,  your  very  obedient, 

JOSEPH  ALSTON. 

HARMAN  BLENNERHASSETT,  ESQ. 

P.  S.  Being  unwell  myself,  Mrs.  Alston  has  acted  as 
my  amanuensis.  It  is  so  customary  at  this  time  to  pub 
lish  extracts  from  every  letter  in  which  the  name  of  Col. 
Burr  happens  to  be  mentioned,  that  I  was  about  to 
observe  to  you,  what  you  will  readily  perceive  without 
the  observation,  that  this  is  not  meant  for  the  same  pur 
pose,  but  merely  for  your  own  perusal. 

J.  A. 

Having  acted  as  amanuensis  for  Mr.  Alston,  I  now  beg 
leave  to  speak  for  myself,  and  inquire  after  the  health  of 
Mrs.  Blennerhassett ;  her  fortitude  has,  I  hope,  supported 
her  through  the  troubles  of  the  winter.  May  they  be 
the  last  she  has  ever  to  encounter.  I  wrote  to  her  last 
autumn,  but  I  suppose  my  letter  has  not  reached  her. 
The  fulfillment  of  our  mutual  promise  of  corresponding 
would  afford  me  great  pleasure ;  for  it  will  now  be  the 
only  means  of  supporting  a  friendship,  which  I  flatter 
myself  commenced  in  conformity  of  sentiment  and  sin 
cerity  ;  but  whatever  may  be  the  length  of  our  separation 
or  discontinuance  of  intercourse,  the  happy  days  I  spent 
17 


258  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

on  the  Ohio,  and  the  character  of  Mrs.  B.,  will  remain 
indelibly  impressed  on  the  mind  of  her  friend  and 
admirer.  T.  B.  ALSTON.* 


*  One  individual  alone  clung  to  Burr  in  his  hour  of  trial ;    need  we  say 
that  it  was  a  woman,  the  only  daughter  of  the  accused. 

If  there  is  a  redeeming  feature  in  the  character  of  Burr,  it  is  to  be  found 
in  his  love  for  that  child.  From  her  earliest  years,  he  had  educated  her 
with  a  care  to  which  we  look  in  vain  for  a  parallel  among  his  contempo 
raries.  She  grew  up,  in  consequence,  no  ordinary  woman.  Beautiful 
beyond  most  of  her  sex ;  accomplished  as  few  females  of  that  day  were 
accomplished,  she  displayed  to  her  family  and  friends  a  fervor  of  affection 
which  not  every  woman  is  capable  of;  the  character  of  Theodosia  Burr 
has  long  been  regarded  almost  as  we  would  regard  that  of  a  heroine  of 
romance.  Her  love  for  her  father  partook  of  the  purity  of  a  better  world ; 
holy,  deep,  unchanging ;  it  reminds  us  of  the  affection  which  a  celestial 
spirit  might  be  supposed  to  entertain  for  a  parent,  cast  down  from  heaven, 
for  sharing  in  the  sin  of  the  "  Son  of  the  Morning."  No  sooner  did  she 
hear  of  the  arrest  of  her  father,  than  she  fled  to  his  side.  There  is  nothing 
in  human  history  more  touching  than  the  hurried  letters,  blotted  with 
tears,  in  which  she  announced  her  daily  progress  to  Richmond ;  for  she 
was  too  weak  to  travel  with  the  rapidity  of  the  mail.  Even  the  character 
of  Burr  borrows  a  momentary  halo  from  hers,  when  we  peruse  his  replies, 
in  which,  forgetting  his  peril  and  relaxing  the  stern  front  he  assumed 
toward  his  enemies,  he  labored  only  to  quiet  her  fears,  and  inspire 
her  with  confidence  in  his  acquittal.  He  even  writes  from  his  prison 
in  a  tone  of  gayety,  jestingly  regretting  that  his  accommodations  are  not 
more  elegant  for  her  reception.  Once,  and  once  only,  does  he  melt ;  and 
that  is  to  tell  her  that  in  the  event  of  the  worst,  he  will  die  worthy  of 
himself. 

After  his  trial,  Burr  went  abroad,  virtually  a  banished  man.  He  was 
still  full  of  his  schemes  against  Mexico  and  the  Spanish  provinces ;  but 
in  England  he  met  with  no  encouragement,  the  nation  being  engaged  in 
the  Peninsular  war.  He  afterward  visited  France,  where  his  petitions 
were  equally  disregarded,  the  Emperor  being  engrossed  in  the  Continental 
wars.  Here  his  funds  failed.  He  had  no  friend  to  apply  to,  and  was  forced 
to  borrow,  on  one  occasion,  a  couple  of  sous  from  a  cigar-woman  on  the 
corner  of  the  street. 

At  last  he  returned  to  New  York ;  but  in  how  different  a  guise  from 
the  days  of  his  glory !  No  cannon  thundered  at  his  coming,  no  crowd 
thronged  the  wharf.  Men  gazed  suspiciously  upon  him  as  he  walked  along, 
or  crossed  the  street  to  avoid  him,  as  one  having  the  pestilence.  But  he 
was  not,  he  thought,  wholly  destitute.  His  daughter  still  lived ;  his  heart 


259 

RICHMOND,  June  29£A,  1807. 

DEAR  SIR  : — I  recommend  to  you  to  place  Mrs.  Blen- 
nerhassett  and  your  children  with  Mrs.  Alston,  till  these 
agitations  shall  be  composed. 

For  other  matters,  I  refer  you  to  my  friend,  Major  Ash 
ley,  who  will  hand  you  this. 

Faithfully,  yours,  A.  BURR. 

Mr.  A.  will  perform  his  engagement.     The  bill  for  two 
thousand  dollars  was  duly  paid. 
H.  BLENNERHASSETT,  ESQ. 


To  Mrs.  M.  Blennerhassett. 

LEXINGTON,  KY.,  Tuesday  Eve.,  July  14£A,  1807. 
On  my  arrival  here  to-day,  I  was  taken  into  custody 
for    my  indorsement  of  some  of  Col.  Burr's   bills,  of 
which  I  am  now  getting  clear  by  an  arrangement  Mr. 


yearned  to  clasp  her  to  his  bosom.  She  left  Charleston,  South  Carolina, 
accordingly,  to  meet  him.  But  although  more  than  thirty  years  have 
elapsed,  no  tidings  of  the  pilot-boat  in  which  she  sailed  have  ever  been 
received.  Weeks  grew  into  months,  and  months  glided  into  years.  Yet 
her  father  and  husband  watched  in  vain  for  her  coming.  Whether  the 
vessel  perished  by  conflagration,  whether  it  foundered  in  a  gale,  or  whether 
it  was  taken  by  pirates,  and  all  on  board  murdered,  will  never  be  known, 
until  the  great  day  when  the  sea  shall  give  up  its  dead. 

It  is  said  that  this  blow  broke  the  heart  of  Burr ;  and  that  though  in 
public  he  maintained  a  proud  equanimity,  in  private  tears  forced  them 
selves  down  his  furrowed  cheeks.  He  lived  thirty  years  after  this  event ; 
but,  in  his  own  words,  "  felt  severed  from  the  human  race."  He  had 
neither  brother,  nor  sister,  nor  lineal  descendant.  No  man  called  him  by 
the  endearing  name  of  friend.  The  weight  of  fourscore  years  was  on  his 
brow.  He  was  racked  by  disease.  At  last  death,  so  long  desired,  came ; 
but,  it  is  said,  in  a  miserable  lodging  and  alone.  Was  there  ever  such  a 
retribution  ?  ANONYMOUS. 


260  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

Clay  is  drawing  up  between  Mr.  Sanders  and  me,  effected 
by  my  transferring  Col.  Alston's  obligation,  etc.  Col. 
Mead's  son,  by  a  rapid  journey  from  Richmond,  per 
formed  in  twelve  days,  brings  intelligence  of  bills  of  in 
dictment  having  been  found  against  Col.  Burr  and  my 
self  for  high  treason  and  a  misdemeanor,  and  that  Burr 
is  in  close  custody.  The  Federal  marshal  sent  out  to 
summon  a  jury  from  Wood  county,  and  the  trial  fixed  to 
come  on  the  3d  of  August.  Burr's  situation  is  thought 
to  be  perilous,  as  may  be  my  own.  If  I  go  on  to  the 
Island  or  Marietta,  I  must  expect  to  be  immediately  sent 
to  Richmond.  I  have  no  idea  of  attempting  an  escape, 
which  I  could  probably  effect  by  Detroit  to  Canada.  I  feel 
conscious  of  all  want  of  law  or  evidence  to  convict  me,  and 
shall  therefore  not  seek  to  avoid  an  arrest  anywhere,  but 
promptly  appear  on  any  call  for  me  at  Richmond.  Wil 
kinson  will  fall  and  be  disgraced,  whatever  fate  may 
attend  Burr  or  myself.  Seven  of  the  grand  jury  were 
for  presenting  or  indicting  him,  but  all  were  unanimous 
for  indicting  Burr  and  me.  I  shall  advise  with  Mr.  Clay, 
this  evening,  on  my  situation,  and  the  course  I  should 
pursue.  It  has  appeared  to  me  probable  I  should  be 
arrested  here,  and  sent  on  from  hence ;  Mr.  Clay  thinks 
that  will  not  be  ;  you  shall  hear  from  me,  however,  the 
first  new  opportunity.  Dudley  Woodbridge,  Edm.  Dana, 
David  Wallace,  and  almost  every  one  you  could  suspect, 
have  been  taken  to  Richmond  on  subpenas ;  John  and 
S.  Henderson,  of  course.  Bollman  has  refused  the  Presi 
dent's  pardon,  as  I  should,  unless  it  were  issued  upon 
petition  to  him  from  yourself  and  my  respectable  ac 
quaintances  in  the  Mississippi  Territory  and  the  United 


INTERRUPTION.  261 

States,  unsolicited  by  me.    I  will  not  fly,  even  from  Wood 
county  witnesses  and  juries. 

I  must  now  tell  you  I  was  interrupted  when  I  had  writ 
ten  so  far,  by  a  visit  from  Mr.  David  Mead,  to  arrest  me 
on  the  part  of  the  United  States.  He  is  an  amiable,  kind 
young  man,  with  whom  I  shall  set  out  in  a  few  days  for 
Richmond.  He  has  offered  me  every  service  since  I  have 
been  confined,  and  is  very  busy  in  summoning  witnesses 
on  behalf  of  Col.  Burr.  He  has  just  left  me  in  a  new 
lodging,  which  is  very  comfortable,  I  assure  you,  being  a 
clean,  airy  room  in  the  jail,  left  entirely  to  myself,  where, 
I  call  God  to  witness  to  you,  I  do  not  feel  aj;  all  uneasy  at 
the  sense  of  confinement.  It  is  true,  I  have  not  yet  tried 
it  half  an  hour ;  but  the  same  Providence  that  has  ever 
supported  me  will  let  my  time  and  my  reflections  flow  as 
gmoothly  here  as  if  I  were  at  liberty.  You  must  serve  the 
same  God,  and  by  strong  and  steady  endeavors  think  of 
this,  and  the  worst  that  persecutions  can  inflict  upon  me, 
as  lightly  as  I  do.  Attend  to  the  duties  you  owe,  and  the 
delights  that  will  be  afforded  you,  by  our  dear  boys,  till  I 
see  them  again,  which  I  shall  surely  do  somewhere.  For 
ward  to  Richmond  an  affidavit  from  my  valued  friend 
Harding,  stating  at  large  the  proceedings  that  were  had 
against  me  at  Washington,  and  a  duplicate,  for  fear  of  a 
miscarriage.  The  jailer,  a  civil  American,  of  the  name 
of  Prentiss,  has  just  informed  me  has  orders  to  let  no 
one  speak  to  me  but  in  his  presence,  and  to  let  no  letters 
come  to  me  or  go  from  me.  I  have  just  sent  him  out  to 
demand  of  Col.  Crocket,  the  United  States  Marshal,  or 
Mr.  Bibb,  their  Attorney,  that  I  may  write  to  you  a  sealed 
letter  or  an  open  one,  as  they  will  venture  to  prescribe. 


262  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

lie  returns  with  an  answer  that  I  may  send  closed  letters 
to  you ;  but  any  others  I  may  wish  to  write  must  be  seen 
by  him  and  the  jailer  before  they  are  sealed.  I  make 
memoranda  of  all  these  occurrences,  which  I  read  over  to 
the  jailer,  and  he  has  engaged  to  sign. 

If  you  wish  to  sympathize  with  me,  do  not  grieve  for 
my  situation,  as  I  am  not  at  all  discouraged.  This  even 
ing,  't  is  true,  is  warm ;  but  how  much  more  distressing 
was  the  heat  in  the  vast  prairies  and  barrens  I  have 
passed  through,  tormented,  too,  day  and  night  with 
insects,  from  which  I  am  here  free.  Is  my  tumbler 
so  greasy  I  can  not  wash  it  clear  ?  I  am  chemist  enough 
to  know  that  not  a  particle  of  the  grease  will  adhere  to 
the  water ;  and  how  very  much  cooler  is  my  drink  !  I 
have  just  been  sent,  per  Joe,  a  mug  of  good  tea,  with 
toast,  from  Mrs.  J.,  with  mattress,  sheets,  etc.  My  win 
dows  are  grated,  but  large  and  open,  and  their  appear 
ance  no  more  disturbs  my  reflections,  which  kind  Heaven 
never  suffers  to  fail  me,  in  place  or  time,  than  the  figure 
of  those  we  sometimes  admired  on  the  Island.  You  must 
dismiss,  then,  all  concern  for  every  mortification  you  will 
falsely  think  I  suffer,  except  what  arises  from  the  want 
of  the  picture,  which  I  do  'nt  yet  despair  of,  through  the 
kind  offices  of  a  young  man  at  Nashville,  a  printer,  of 
the  name  of  Rob.  Alleson,  who  has  kindly  assured  me  he 
will  engage  himself  to  forward  it  to  you  or  me.  I  must 
now  close,  to  insure  this  letter  time  enough  in  the  office 
to  go  by  to-morrow's  mail.  Joe  has  just  come  to  take 
them.  God  bless  you!  Write  every  post.  Kiss  my 
boys  for  me,  and  never  fear  a  failure  of  my  spirits  or  my 
constancy.  HARMAN  BLENNERHASSETT. 


FRIENDSHIP    PROVED.  263 

To  Mrs.  M.  Blennerhassett. 

LEXINGTON,  July  18£A,  1807. 

It  should  afford  you  the  fullest  proof  of  my  contentment, 
in  my  present  situation,  to  learn,  that  without  any  inter 
ruption  of  good  health,  I  have  not  appropriated  any  part 
of  my  time,  since  Tuesday,  to  writing  to  you.  When  I 
was  closing  my  letter  to  you  that  day,  I  thought  it  would 
go  from  hence  next  morning ;  I  am  happy  since  to  hear" 
it  will  not  go  forward  before  this,  which,  I  hope,  you  will 
first  read.  In  the  midst  of  my  occupation,  by  the  cares 
of  my  concerns  with  the  Government,  I  have  made 
arrangements  for  removing,  I  expect,  the  greatest  part 
of  the  incumbrances  affecting  our  property  on  the  Island. 
Miller,  who,  you  know,  attached  the  chief  part  of  our 
effects,  is  not  here,  but  will  probably  accept  of  the  same 
accommodations,  accepted  by  Mr.  Sanders,  namely,  a 
transfer  of  Alston's  obligation,  with  a  deed  of  trust  on 
the  Island,  as  a  further  security.  Our  valued  friend 
Harding  will  explain  this  to  you.  He  ought  to  see  my 
letters  to  you,  while  the  press  of  more  indispensable  occu 
pation  prevents  my  writing  to  him.  Details  relating  to 
my  arrest  on  Tuesday  evening,  and  the  proceedings  that 
have  already,  and  will  hereafter  occur,  you  will  see,  must 
be  too  voluminous  to  find  place  in  my  letters.  You  must 
content  yourself  with  the  statement  you  will  find  ot 
them  in  the  papers.  I  will  not  fail,  however,  to  give  you 
such  particulars  as  you  may  not  see  there. 

The  degrees  of  adversity  seem  to  graduate  the  scales 
of  friendship,  and  the  sincerity  of  the  professions  we 
receive  in  life.  I  have  been  visited  by  Col.  Meade,  who 


264  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

has  not  probably  ridden  to  town  for  two  years,  on  any 
two  other  occasions,  while  Morton,  the  Harts,  and  many 
others  you  would  first  count  upon,  have  not  appeared 
within  the  walls.  More  call  upon  me,  however,  than  I 
wish  to  see,  while  poor  Tracy  is  offended  with  me,  be 
cause  I  will  not  take  any  of  the  little  money  he  has 
gathered  by  so  many  years'  hard  earning,  and  several 
other  persons  daily  load  me  with  general  offers  of  service. 
If  confinement  could,  in  itself,  have  any  ills  for  me,  they 
could  not  fail  to  be  greatly  abated,  by  the  interest  excited 
by  my  visitors  and  the  unremitting  exercise  of  my  pen. 
But  while  I  have  these  resources — aided,  besides,  by  the 
kindest  attentions  of  the  jailer  and  his  family,  who  in  no 
instance  omits  to  render  my  situation  not  only  easy,  but 
even  comfortable,  without  transgressing  the  line  of  de- 
markation  between  his  duty  and  his  inclination — I  hope 
the  ease  I  experience,  and  the  indifference  I  feel  toward 
future  prospects,  will  not  induce  you  to  suspect  that  the 
most  loathsome  dungeon,  or  the  most  unjust  issue  of  my 
prosecution,  could  exhibit  me  unworthy  of  the  favor  of 
your  constancy  and  virtue.  Although  I  live  very  com 
fortably  in  every  respect,  Mrs.  Sanders,  late  Miss  Nich 
olas,  persists  in  sending  me  a  nice  breakfast  every 
morning,  and  Mr.  Postlethwaite  has  endeavored  to  pro 
cure  my  removal  to  his  house,  a  mile  distant  in  the 
country ;  but  popular  passion  is  so  strongly  engaged  on 
the  side  of  the  Government,  that  it  could  not  be  effected 
in  this  focus  of  Democracy  ;  the  ardor  of  which,  however, 
I  am  generally  assured — the  manner  of  my  deportment, 
and  address  in  the  court — have  cooled  down  into  some 
degree  of  sympathy  and  confidence  in  my  honor. 


SPECIAL    DIRECTIONS.  265 

I  have  been  very  much  engaged  the  last  two  days  in 
preparing  letters  and  various  papers  for  Joe  to  take  to 
the  Island.  I  got  him  off  in  the  afternoon  ;  he  took  with 
him  two  new  horses  I  got  for  the  three  I  left  Natchez 
with,  which  he  will  take  to  his  uncle's  on  the  Monanga- 
hela,  and  keep  until  he  takes  them  down  to  Richmond, 
where  I  shall  want  him  and  Scott  to  prove  the  inveterate 
animosity  borne  me  by  some  of  the  Wood  county  wit 
nesses  I  expect  to  appear  against  me.  I  think  it  probable 
I  may  have  occasion,  on  my  defense,  to  make  use  of  the 
first  letter  I  wrote  to  Col.  Burr;  that  being  destroyed, 
probably  my  letter-book  may  be  received  as  evidence  of 
its  contents.  The  book,  therefore,  which  I  left  in  the 
small  trunk,  containing  my  papers,  together  with  every 
letter  you  can  there  find,  or  in  any  part  of  my  writing- 
desk,  from  Col.  Burr  to  you,  or  myself,  you  must,  with 
the  aid  of  Mr.  Harding,  or  other  friends,  whose  zeal  and 
punctuality  can  be  depended  upon,  have  forwarded  to  me 
at  Richmond,  together  with  the  morocco  case,  containing 
my  music,  and  the  two  sheets  of  manuscript  I  lent 
Mrs.  Wallace,  with  my  spectacles;  the  whole  carefully 
packed,  sealed  and  directed,  in  a  small  trunk  or  box,  in 
the  safest  and  most  expeditious  manner,  by  Orleans,  to 
some  port  where  I  may  get  the  earliest  intelligence  of  its 
arrival,  and  thence  procure  it  by  the  coach.  I  expected 
the  return  to  town  last  evening  of  my  young  friend,  Da 
vid  Meade,  from  the  country,  where  he  is  fatiguinyly 
employed  in  serving  subpenas  for  witnesses  on  the  part 
of  Col.  Burr.  On  Monday  I  shall  set  out  in  his  charge — 
he  being  deputy-marshal — with  a  guard  of  four,  three,  at 
least,  of  whom  are  respectable,  and  will,  I  am  assured, 


266  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

prove  agreeable  companions.  I  am  extremely  sorry  to 
find  the  injury  to  private  individuals  of  this  country  in 
consequence  of  a  baseless  authority  for  Burr's  financial 
operations  here  last  autumn,  far  exceeding  my  greatest 
suspicions.  If  it  be  shown  that  he  had  not  funds  and 
friends  pledged  to  him  to  warrant  his  drafts,  his  conduct 
would  appear  nefarious  enough  to  displace  all  the  friend 
ships  he  ever  formed.  These  strictures  are  particularly 
extracted  from  me  by  something  I  have  heard  of  him 
relating  to  myself  in  a  pecuniary  sense,  which  will  be 
examined,  and  come  hereafter  to  your  knowledge,  if  ma 
terial.  They  may  therefore  be  kept  secret  from  all  but 
friends,  in  whose  honor  and  attachment  we  can  confide. 
David  Meade  has  just  left  me.  We  shall  certainly  go  on 
Monday,  and  proceed  by  easy  journeys,  comfortably 
equipped.  Beware  to  enter  upon  Dominick's  heart,  but 
by  small  and  cautious  advances  while  informing  him  of 
my  situation.  Welcome  the  means  you  may  derive  from 
it,  of  forming  him  to  a  habit  of  patience  and  courage  in 
suffering ;  pity  for  the  vices  of  mankind,  and  a  steady 
contempt  for  malice,  which  the  vengeance  of  power  can 
never  subdue.  As  it  regards  yourself,  reflect  and  rejoice 
that  your  husband  will  not  be  unworthy  of  you  by  the 
tenor  of  his  life ;  while,  through  all  the  trials  he  may  yet 
pass,  the  approving  spirit  of  your  virtue  will  embellish 
his  fame  and  smile  upon  his  courage.  I  have  written  to 
my  friends,  Jas.  S.  Lewis  &  Co.,  to  honor  Mr.  Harding  to 
amount  of  $500  or  $600  to  answer  your  occasions,  as  well 
as  to  accept  all  bills  drawn  by  yourself,  to  amount  of  my 
remaining  funds  in  their  hands:  this  last  instruction  I 
gave  them  in  contemplation  of  your  making  a  small  pur- 


DETENTION.  267 

chase,  and  having  need  of  some  money  to  make  ready 
payments  and  prepare  for  getting  in  a  crop  the  ensuing 
season,  which  you  ought  to  endeavor  to  effect  for  the 
children  in  the  manner  I  have  proposed;  though  any 
other  you  may  be  advised  to  will  not  he  displeasing  to 
me.  Mr.  Biggs  will  soon,  I  hope,  reach  Natchez,  with 
some  few  hands,  and  I  have  begged  of  Col.  Gushing  to 
endeavor,  as  soon  as  possible,  to  send  you  every  thing  he 
can  from  the  Island,  from  whence  I  think  it  probable  you 
will  receive  some  supplies  in  the  course  of  this  fall.  My 
detention  at  Richmond  will  extend  nearly  to  Christmas, 
owing  to  the  distances  from  which  I  shall  be  obliged  to 
collect  my  witnesses ;  so  that  if  I  shall  be  able  to  run  the 
gauntlet  through  Democratic  juries  and  witnesses,  you 
may  easily  calculate  the  time  I  could  return  to  you  by 
sea,  or  by  land  and  the  Ohio,  taking  the  Island  in  my 
way.  In  the  mean  time,  it  is  possible  I  shall  not  be  kept 
in  jail,  but  confined  in  a  comfortable  way  in  the  Peniten 
tiary,  or  other  safe  quarters,  under  guard,  at  Richmond, 
as  Burr  now  is.  The  federal  marshal  there  has  a  good 
character  from  David  Meade,  and  is  brother  to  General 
Scott.  Continue  to  repeat  to  all  our  worthy  friends,  par 
ticularly  Harding,  Col.  and  Mrs.  Scott,  and  Russell,  etc., 
etc.,  my  grateful  obligations  for  their  goodness  to  you ; 
tell  Russell  I  do  not  cry  "  Divil  burn  the  iron  boults," 
though  I  sometimes  sing  "  Smolileu." 

A  mail  in  to-day  from  Natchez,  and  no  letters  from 
you.  I  have  had  but  one ;  the  postmaster's  date  being 
23d  ult.,  concerning  the  boys'  works.  For  God's  sake, 
write  oftener,  and  give  me  the  satisfaction  of  hearing 


268  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

how  many  of  my  letters,  this  making  the  seventh  or 
eighth,  you  received  from  your  husband, 

HARM  AN  BLENNERHASSETT. 

P.  S.  As  I  can't  write  to  many  of  your  friends,  I  hope 
all  will  excuse  me. 

Sunday  noon,  July  19th. — I  am  just  going  out  to  walk 
in  town,  to  make  some  visits  with  the  jailer.  H.  B. 


The  following  is  a  notice  of  the  arrest  and  proceeding 
alluded  to,  taken  from  the  "  New  World :" 

LEXINGTON,  July  21st. 

On  Tuesday  last  Herman  Blennerhassett  arrived  in  this 
town  from  the  Mississippi  Territory.  Immediately  on 
his  arrival  he  was  arrested,  at  the  instance  of  Mr.  Saun- 
ders,  on  a  civil  process,  and  before  his  discharge  was 
again  arrested  by  the  marshal  for  the  Kentucky  district, 
on  an  affidavit  made  by  Mr.  David  Meade,  the  purport 
of  which  was,  that  Blennerhassett  had  been  indicted  for 
treason,  and  a  true  bill  found  by  the  grand  jury  at  Rich 
mond,  Virginia.  It  fortunately  happened  that  Judge 
Todd  was  in  town,  before  whom  Mr.  Blennerhassett  was 
immediately  brought ;  but  as  he  wished  to  be  heard  by 
counsel,  he  was  committed  to  jail,  and  ordered  to  be 
again  before  the  judge  at  nine  o'clock  the  next  morning, 
at  which  time  he  read  to  the  court  an  affidavit  which  he 
had  drawn  up.  The  crowd  was  so  great  that  the  editor 
was  unable  to  hear  the  whole  of  it,  but  he  understood  it 
went  to  give  a  history  of  his  arrest  and  discharges  in  the 


EXTRACT.  269 

Mississippi  Territory ;  of  his  being  on  his  journey  home, 
when  he  heard  at  Danville  of  the  indictment  being  found 
against  him ;  of  the  means  he  used  to  ascertain  the  truth 
of  the  report ;  and  that  being  satisfied  of  its  correctness, 
he  had  hastened  to  this  place,  to  surrender  himself  to 
Mr.  Bibb,  attorney  for  the  United  States ;  that  soon  after 
he  arrived  he  was  arrested  upon  a  civil  process ;  that  he 
had  met  with  Mr.  Clay,  to  whom  he  communicated  his 
intentions,  and  requested  advice  as  to  the  mode  he  should 
adopt ;  that  Mr.  Clay  said  he  was  too  much  engaged  to 
attend  at  that  time  to  his  applications,  but  promised  to 
see  him  on  the  subject  at  nine  o'clock  the  next  day.  He 
declared  it  to  be  his  wish  to  be  sent  on  to  Richmond  to 
receive  his  trial  at  that  place.  Mr.  Clay,  as  counsel, 
assured  the  court,  that  he  was  instructed  by  his  client  to 
express  his  wish  to  be  sent  on  for  trial ;  he  only  wished 
an  unnecessary  rigor  might  not  be  observed,  and  that  he 
might  be  forwarded  in  a  manner  as  delicate  as  the  nature 
of  his  situation  would  permit.  Mr.  Clay  at  the  same 
time  took  the  liberty,  as  a  citizen,  to  protest  against,  or 
rather  object  to,  the  mode  which  had  been  pursued  by 
the  court ;  he  viewed  the  proceedings  unprecedented  and 
illegal.  He,  however,  wished  it  to  be  understood,  that 
his  observations  were  made  as  a  citizen,  and  not  at  the 
instance  of  Mr.  B. ;  it  was  his  real  wish  to  be  sent  on  for 
trial.  Mr.  Bibb  stated  that  he  had  provided  himself  with 
authorities  to  prove  the  proceedings  proper ;  but  that  he 
had  that  morning  inquired  of  Mr.  Clay  whether  any  ex 
ceptions  would  be  taken  to  the  legality  of  the  proceedings, 
and  being  informed  that  none  would  be  taken,  had  neg- 


270       ,    THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

lected  to  bring  his  authorities  into  court;  that  he  was 
now  surprised  to  find  the  exceptions  taken. 

Mr.  Clay  stopped  him  again,  to  declare  that  the  excep 
tions  were  not  by  the  consent  of  Mr.  B.,  who  he  believed 
was  really  desirous  of  being  conveyed  to  Richmond. 

Mr.  Blennerhassett  assured  the  court  that  Mr.  Clay 
had  justly  stated  his  desire,  and  pledged  himself,  that 
whatever  .might  be  the  decision  of  the  judge,  he  would 
accompany  Mr.  Meade,  the  deputy-marshal,  to  Richmond. 
But  he  wished  not  to  be  understood  as  making  a  parade 
of  willingness  which  he  did  not  feel,  of  meeting  investi 
gation,  as  he  was  more  desirous  of  going  as  a  prisoner  at 
the  public  charge,  than  at  his  own  expense,  as  his  fortune 
was  greatly  impaired.  He  made  an  affecting  appeal  to 
the  citizens  of  Lexington,  which  would  have  been  very 
favorably  received,  had  not  the  high  crimes  with  which 
he  was  charged  forcibly  rebutted  it.  He  spoke  of  the 
friendly  attention  and  hospitable  treatment  experienced 
by  himself  and  family,  and  hoped  they  would  not  believe, 
without  evidence,  that  their  attentions  had  been  bestowed 
on  unworthy  objects. 

The  judge  took  time  to  make  up  an  opinion  as  to 
the  proceedings  which  ought  to  be  had  in  the  case ;  and 
issued  a  warrant  for  his  commitment  and  safe  keep 
ing,  until  the  district-judge  could  be  applied  to,  who 
ordered  him  to  be  delivered  to  the  court  in  Richmond, 
without  delay. 

He  was  yesterday  sent  off,  attended  by  Mr.  Meade  and 
a  guard  of  five  men. 


UNPLEASANT    TIDINGS.  271 

LEXINGTON,  July  22d,  1807. 

SIR  : — Your  favor  of  the  20th  was  delivered  to  me  ;  the 
apology  you  offer,  on  the  subject  of  my  fee,  is  abundantly 
sufficient,  and  the  compensation  you  propose,  adequate. 
You  will  be  pleased  to  inclose  a  Virginia  bank  note  to 
me  from  Richmond,  by  the  mail.  I  did  not  understand 
that  by  the  agreement  between  Mr.  Sanders  and  you, 
Mr.  Miller  was  to  be  any  way  interested  in  the  "  deed  of 
trust "  upon  your  Island,  and  am  pretty  positive  it  was 
not  agreed  that  he  should  be  concerned  in  it,  which  is 
evident,  indeed,  from  the  face  of  the  deed  itself.  Never 
theless,  you  may  give  Miller  an  order  upon  Sanders,  to 
pay  him  out  of  the  proceeds  of  the  sale  of  the  Island, 
if  they  should  exceed  Mr.  S.'s  demand,  and  Mr.  Alston 
should  not  be  willing  or  forced  to  pay  according  to  his 
engagement.  I  think,  therefore,  you  ought  to  acknowl 
edge  the  deed  before  the  General  Court  in  Virginia. 
You  will  only,  by  refusing  to  do  it,  give  Mr.  Sanders  the 
unnecessary  trouble  of  having  the  deed  returned  to  be 
proven  and  certified  from  this  place,  or  commencing  a 
suit  against  you,  to  coerce  an  acknowledgment. 

Your  obedient  servant,  HENRY  CLAY. 

HARMAN  BLENNERHASSETT,  ESQ. 


NATCHEZ,  August  3d,  1807. 

MY  DEAREST  HUSBAND  : — After  having  experienced  the 
greatest  disappointment  at  not  having  heard  from  you 
for  two  mails,  I  at  length  learn  of  your  arrest,  which 
afflicts  and  mortifies  me,  because  it  was  an  arrest. 


272  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

think,  had  you  of  yourself  gone  to  Richmond,  and  so 
licited  a  trial,  it  would  have  accorded  better  with  your 
pride,  and  you  would  have  escaped  the  unhappiness  of 
missing  my  letters,  which  I  wrote  every  week  to  Mari 
etta.  God  knows  what  you  may  feel  and  suffer  on  our 
account  before  this  reaches  you  to  inform  you  of  our 
health  and  welfare,  in  every  particular;  and  knowing 
this,  I  trust  and  feel  your  mind  will  rise  superior  to  every 
inconvenience  that  your  present  situation  may  subject 
you  to ;  despising,  as  I  do,  the  paltry  malice  of  the  up 
start  agents  of  Government,  and  that  you  may  in  some 
measure  be  the  means  of  exposing  them  to  the  world. 
Let  no  solicitude  whatever  for  us  damp  your  spirits ;  we 
have  many  friends  here,  who  do  the  utmost  in  their 
power  to  counteract  every  disagreeable  sensation  which  I 
suffer  from  your  absence.  I  have  removed  into  a  part  of 
Mr.  Moon's  house,  where  I  can  scarcely  feel  the  heat  of 
the  weather,  having  let  mine  to  the  French  Consul,  who 
has  come  to  reside  here.  The  boys  have  a  good  school, 
and  I  find  many  conveniences  here  which  I  wanted  at 
Poindexter's  house.  Mrs.  Whittle  spends  most  of  her 
time  here,  which  is  a  great  advantage  now,  when  I  do  n't 
go  any- where,  which  I  have  determined  not  to  do  till  I 
learn  the  result  of  your  affairs,  though  pressed  by  all  my 
acquaintances  to  go  to  the  country,  where  I  spent  some 
time  before  I  learned  of  the  alteration  of  your  course.  I 
inclose  several  letters  of  business  to  General  Tupper,  at 
Marietta,  for  you,  among  which  was  the  one  that  Mr. 
Sorrel,  of  this  place,  had  in  his  possession  when  he  passed 
you  in  the  wilderness,  but  which  can  be  of  no  conse 
quence  now.  Mr,  Biggs  has  returned  with  only  three 


STRONG  ATTACHMENT.  273 

negroes,  not  having  been  able  to  procure  funds  for  more. 
I  shall  live  in  the  hope  of  hearing  from  you  next  mail, 
and  entreat  you,  by  all  that  is  dear  to  us,  not  to  let  any 
disagreeable  feelings  on  account  of  our  separation  ener 
vate  your  mind  at  this  time.  Remember,  that  every  one 
will  read  with  great  interest  whatever  concerns  you,  but 
still,  do  n't  trust  too  much  to  yourself;  consider  your 
want  of  practice  at  the  bar,  and,  if  I  still  retain  the  same 
influence  over  you  which  you  have  over  me,  do  n't  spare 
the  fee  of  a  lawyer ;  we  shall  never  miss  it  in  this  coun 
try,  and  if  we  did,  that,  in  such  a  case,  should  be  no  con 
sideration  now.  Assure  Col.  Burr  of  my  warmest  ac 
knowledgments  for  his  and  Mrs.  Alston's  kind  remem 
brance,  and  tell  him  to  assure  her  that  she  has  inspired 
me  with  a  warmth  of  attachment  that  never  has,  nor  ever 
can  diminish  while  I  live.  I  wish  him  to  urge  her  to 
write  to  me  :  a  letter  from  her  now  would  be  most  accept 
able  God  bless  you !  M.  BLENNERHASSETT. 

I  hope  you  have  done  tormenting  yourself  about  the 
loss  of  my  picture.  I  inclosed  you,  to  Marietta,  what  is 
of  infinitely  more  value,  the  profiles  of  the  two  darling 
lovely  boys. 


To  Mrs.  M.  Blennerhassett. 

RICHMOND  PENITENTIARY, 

Tuesday,  Aug.  4^A,  1807. 

Do  n't  startle  at  a  word ;  I  am  not  in  the  quarters  of 
old  M ;  you  must  wait  for  a  description  of  my  lodg- 

mg  until  I  conclude  some  little  account  of  my  journey 
18 


274  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

This  has  been  as  comfortable  and  accommodating  as  the 
severity  of  the  weather  and  much  fatigue  would  permit. 
The  guard,  consisting  of  five  gentlemen,  vied  with  each 
other  all  the  way  in  emulating  the  exertions  of  that  excel 
lent  young  man,  David  Meade,  to  promote  my  ease.  I 
had,  consequently,  no  restraint,  and  might,  I  believe,  have 
effected  my  escape,  if  I  had  been  disposed  to  attempt  it. 
We  arrived  in  town  to-day,  the  16th  inclusive  since  we 
left  Lexington,  a  quarter  before  2  o'clock.  We  rode  up 
to  the  Washington  tavern,  where  we  had  an  excellent 
dinner;  after  which  I  was  visited  by  another  deputy- 
marshal  with  a  warrant  for  high-treason,  and  conducted 
in  a  carriage  to  this  place,  where  I  am  lodged  in  a  suite 
of  commodious  apartments,  affording  me  a  walk  of  forty 
paces  in  length,  lately  occupied  by  Col.  Burr,  who  has 
been  removed  to  another  house,  under  guard,  for  the 
more  convenient  intercourse  with  his  counsel  during  his 
trial ;  these  are  numerous,  and  all  volunteers  in  his 
defense.  I  was  not  half  an  hour  here  when  I  had  a  lively 
note  from  Col.  Burr,  a  present  of  tea,  sugar  and  cakes 
from  Mrs.  Alston,  and  a  visit  from  Alston,  and  Edmond 
Randolph,  to  offer  his  advice  and  services  gratis.  Morgan 
Neville  has  been  looking  for  me,  and  was  denied  admit 
tance  to  my  room  at  the  tavern,  through  officiousness  or 
mistake,  for  all  my  friends  may  come  here  to  me,  though 
I  can't  go  out  to  them.  Mr.  Randolph  and  Alston  assure 
me  the  prosecutions  for  treason  have  already  become 
ridiculous  among  the  best  informed,  so  that  none  of  us 
will  probably  be  hanged,  nor  can  a  conviction  for  the 
misdemeanor  be  effected  from  any  thing  we  can  learn, 
any  more  than  from  any  acts  or  declaration  of  ourselves, 


PRIDE.  275 

for  none  such  ever  escaped  us  to  warrant  one.  Our  only 
indemnity,  therefore,  will  consist  in  our  promoting  the 
eclat,  or  whatever  it  may  be,  which  will  reward  the  zeal 
of  the  Government  for  our  persecution. 

I  had  a  visit  to  arrest  the  progress  of  my  letter  from 
Mr.  Mercer ;  he  sat  fully  two  hours  with  me,  and  was  as 
interesting  as  he  always  is.  My  new  lodging,  though 
spacious  and  commodious,  is  unfurnished ;  I  have  there 
fore  been  forced  to  have  indispensable  necessaries  fur 
nished  from  the  tavern,  which,  however,  I  shall  only 
continue  until  I  can  make  more  economical  arrangements. 
In  my  anxiety  to  save  for  you  and  the  boys,  I  must  still 
indulge  my  pride  by  spurning  the  liberal  subsistence 
allowed  by  the  United  States  to  their  State  prisoners,  of 
fifty  cents  per  day.  I  hope  you  will  duly  receive  my  two 
letters  from  Lexington  jail,  and  forward  the  things  I 
therein  wrote  for.  Request  of  Harding  to  see  or  write 
to  Tyler,  to  advise  him  to  offer  a  surrender  of  himself, 
and  get  subpened,  if  he  does  not  hear  soon  after  you  get 
this,  that  the  Government  will  abandon  the  chase  they 
are  at  present  engaged  in ;  I  say  abandon,  for  it  is  now 
generally  believed,  by  all  parties,  that  two  of  the  grand 
jury,  of  the  most  respectable  character,  would  not  have 
concurred  in  finding  any  bill  for  treason,  and  none,  pro 
bably,  would  have  been  found,  if  these  had  not  mistaken 
the  meaning  of  the  judge's  report  of  his  opinion  in  case 
of  Swartwout  and  Ogden.  Having  yesterday  rode  forty- 
five  miles,  and  thirty-five  to-day,  before  the  variety  of 
incidents  that  has  occupied  me  this  evening,  and  having 
other  matters  to  engage  me  for  an  hour  before  I  go  to 
bed,  I  will  reserve  the  rest  of  this  sheet  for  such  part  of 


276  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

the  news  of  to-morrow  as  may  concern  me,  and  may  not 
reach  you  through  the  papers.     Good  night. 

Wednesday,  11  o'clock,  P.  M. — Variety  is  charming,  and 
never  more  pleasantly  exemplified  than  in  the  succession 
of  that  of  my  levees  here.     I  believe  I  should  have  been 
stupid,  or  perhaps  indisposed  a  little   to-day,  from  the 
transition  from  great  exercise  in  the  open  air  and  broiling 
sun  to  sudden  confinement,  if  I  was  not  almost  hourly 
stimulated  by  the  appearance  of  some  person  I  am  pleased 
to  see,  or  the  hearing  of  some  news  to  interest  me.     As 
to  persons,  I  have  seen  this  morning  Mr.  Botts,  who  will 
also  take  part  in  my  defense,  without  pecuniary  compen 
sation  from  me,  and  I  expect  his  example  will  be  followed 
to-morrow  by  a  similar  offer  from  Mr.  Wickham.     Tell 
Harding  my  indictment,  as  appears  from  a  printed  copy 
sent  to  me  this  evening,  contains  two  counts ;  the  first  for 
levying  war  against  the  United  States  on  the  10th  of  De 
cember,  which  will  be  attempted  to  be  supported  by  the 
perjured  evidence  of  Taylor  and  Albright,  of  resistance 
made  to  General  Tupper's  arresting  me ;  while  Tupper 
will  prove  he  never  attempted  to  arrest  me,  or  any  of  the 
party  ;  for  which  insolent  behavior  of  his,  bye-the-bye, 
it  is  rumored  that  he  is  threatened  also  with  a  State  pros 
ecution.      The  other  count  is  for  planning,  and   going 
down  the  river  on  the  llth,  to  effect  the  seizure  of  New 
Orleans,  which  I  suppose  the  evidence  of  the  Hendersons 
is  chiefly  relied  upon  to  maintain ;  but  this  testimony  I 
shall  also,  I  expect,  be  able  to  defeat;  also,  let  him  know 
or  read  that  in  filling  many  of  the  blank  spaces  with  my 
name,  which  occurs  several  times,  an  e  is  uniformly  used 
in  the  Christian  name,  instead  of  an  a,  as  I  have  ever 


POSTPONEMENT    OF    TRIAL.  277 

written  it,  and  in  the  surname  an  a  is  as  often  used  as 
an  e.  I  want  to  learn  from  him  whether  any,  and  what, 
advantages  may  be  taken  of  these  variances,  and  when  ? 

To  return  to  my  visitors — D.  Wbodbridge  and  Edmond 
Dana  called  in  the  morning,  both  my  friends,  by  whom  I 
heard  Joe  had  safely  given  all  the  papers  I  charged  him 
with  to  Col.  Gushing.  A  great  deal  of  property  has  been 
sold,  I  hear,  but  the  purchasers  are  friendly  enough  to  offer 
to  let  me  have  it,  by  placing  them  as  they  were  before  the 
sales.  No  negroes  are  sold,  but  all  are  vagrant  and  latitant ; 
still  none  will  be  lost.  The  laws  of  Virginia  and  Kentucky 
only  allow  an  absent  debtor  or  defendant  to  come  in 
within  seven  years,  and  set  aside,  or  seek  redress  for  a 
sale  made  against  law  or  equity.  Again,  it  seems  as  if 
every  one  I  ever  knew,  and  more,  were  now  in  Richmond ; 
for  to-day  the  prosecuting  counsel  had  about  one  hundred 
witnesses  called  in  court,  and,  for  the  second  time,  put  off 
the  trial  for  two  days,  because  about  fifty  more  did  not 
appear ;  and  nothing  less  than  Morgan  Neville  and  Bob 
Robison  were  here  this  evening. 

Friday,  8  o'clock,  A.  M. — I  was  a  little  indisposed  yes 
terday,  which,  with  the  hinderance  of  company,  etc.,  pre 
vented  my  writing.  A  small  dose  of  ipecac,  has  to-day 
restored  my  strength  and  appetite,  so  that  I  hope  I  have 
already  surmounted  whatever  seasoning  may  have  been 
necessary  to  fit  me  for  the  sojourn  I  shall  make  in  this 
place.  Mr.  Wickham,  as  was  expected,  waited  upon  me, 
with  Mr.  Botts  ;  these,  with  Mr.  Randolph,  all  three  my 
gratuitous  counsel,  I  severally  and  distinctly  assured,  no 
apprehension  of  a  capital  conviction,  or  sentence  of  death, 
could  induce  me  to  draw  from  the  sympathies  and  exi- 


278  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

gencies  of  my  family  to  defray  any  charge  of  my  defense, 
either  at  present  or  any  after  period  I  could  contemplate. 
Mr.  "W.,  a  staunch  Federalist,  and  Messrs.  Randolph  and 
Botts,  perhaps  as  warm  Democrats,  are  of  opinion  I  shall 
be  enlarged  on  Col.  Burr's  acquittal  of  the  treason  charge, 
if  I  can  procure  bail  for  the  misdemeanor,  which  I  sup 
pose  I  could  easily  do,  but  would  as  soon  remain  where  I 
am,  until  all  the  claims  of  Government  upon  me  are  dis 
posed  of.  It  will  much  depend  on  the  progress  and  turn 
of  Burr's  trial,  when  mine  can  come  on,  though  our  cases 
will  be  kept  as  wide  apart  as  truth  and  their  merits  justly 
require.  It  is  truly  painful  to  me  to  tell  you  to  expect 
nothing  from  the  Island,  though  most  of  the  purchasers, 
even  Miller,  the  principal,  would  return  the  property  on 
the  terms  I  have  before  mentioned ;  yet  the  recovery  of 
any  thing  depends  on  his  acceptance  of  the  best  and  only 
arrangements  Alston  can  make.  Alston  is  endeavoring  to 
raise  money  here  to  meet  all  the  demands,  the  success  of 
which  I  shall  learn  to-day  or  to-morrow,  but  little  depend 
upon.  On  failure  of  this,  he,  Alston,  will  assume  the 
whole,  payable  one-half  a  year  from  next  January,  the 
remainder  the  January  following,  with  interest.  The 
impossibility,  he  declares,  to  raise  money  in  Carolina,  by 
sale  or  mortgage,  and  his  having  fewer  negroes  than  his 
estates  require,  make  this  the  best  arrangement  he  can 
make ;  but  which,  I  fear,  will  not  be  accepted.  I  will 
endeavor  to  learn  and  effect  the  speediest  means  of  for 
warding  to  you  as  many  of  the  negroes  as  possible, 
which,  I  suppose,  you  will  hire  out ;  but,  in  all  your 
affairs,  be  Harding  your  guide. 

Alston  talks  confidently  of  Burr's  recovering  his  de- 


TENDER   OF    FRIENDSHIP.  270 

mands  upon  Government,  to  the  amount  of  §50,000. 
This  event  would  be  prosperous,  indeed,  but  I  have  little 
faith  in  it.  Mercer  has  sat  an  hour  with  me  since  last 
sentence ;  news  to-day  by  him  is  all  war,  traced  up  to 
declarations  by  the  President,  that  the  ground  the  Gov 
ernment  will  take  is  the  inviolability  of  a  neutral  flag ; 
every  one  is  in  arms,  to  be  ready  on  the  first  signal  to 
take  Quebec  and  the  West  Indies.  Mercer  prays  you  to 
accept  the  admiring  homage  of  his  remembrance ;  I  send 
my  letters  for  you,  by  arrangement  with  him  under  cover 
to  his  friend  B.  Taylor,  Esq.,  attorney- at-law,  Alexandria, 
who  will  duly  forward  them  to  Scott.  You  will  also 
inclose  to  the  same  gentleman,  who  will  forward  your 
letters  to  me  through  Mr.  Mercer.  I  have  just  received  a 
tender  of  friendship  by  Mr.  Ormsby,  of  Kentucky,  from 
General  Henry  Lee,  and  offers  of  soups,  jellies,  etc.,  from 
Mrs.  Carrington,  with  their  compliments. 

From  your  husband,        HARMAN  BLENNERHASSETT. 

Burr  to  Blennerhassett. 

Sunday,  August  4th. 

MY  DEAR  SIR: — You  may  take  it  an  ill  compliment 
that  I  tell  you  I  am  heartily  glad  to  hear  of  your  arrival. 
Mr.  Alston  and  Mr.  Neville  successively  made  attempts 
to  see  you  at  the  tavern,  but  were  denied.  Having  this 
minute  heard  that  you  have  gone  to  my  late  quarters,  I 
send  to  inquire  of  your  health,  of  that  of  Mrs.  Blenner- 
hassett's,  and  in  what  I  can  be  useful  to  you.  What 
counsel  shall  I  send  you  ? 

Faithfully  yours,  A.  BURR. 

H.  BLENNERHASSETT,  ESQ. 


280  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

Burr  to  Blennerhassett. 

August  5^,  1807. 

I  am  much  gratified,  my  dear  sir,  by  your  letter  and 
notes.  It  is  impossible  for  us  to  communicate  freely,  ex 
cept  through  the  intervention  of  counsel.  I  recommend 
to  you  to  employ  Mr.  Randolph  and  Mr.  Botts,  and  that 
you  write  a  line  to  each  of  them  this  morning.  They 
will  not  expect  money,  at  least  at  present,  and  when  I 
shall  be  discharged,  I  shall  be  able  to  furnish  it.  Write 
also  to  your  friend  Emmett,*  to  come  on  forthwith.  My 
trial  is  essentially  yours;  it  will  settle  principles  which 
will  govern  in  both.  The  political  character  of  Mr.  Em- 
mett  will  give  him  weight ;  and  it  is  greatly  to  be  desired 
that  a  man  of  discernment  and  impartiality  should  wit 
ness  the  mode  of  these  prosecutions  and  the  extraordi 
nary  efforts  and  extraordinary  means  used  to  produce 
conviction,  right  or  wrong. 

Your  faithful  friend,  A.  BURR. 

H.  BLENNERHASSETT,  ESQ. 

If  there  be  any  thing  wanting  to  your  comfort,  advise 
me. 

To  Mrs.  Blennerhassett. 

RICHMOND  PENITENTIARY,  Aug.  13M,  1807. 
All  is  going  on  very  well ;  I  am  hearty  and  in  good 
spirits,  but  have  only  time  to  charge  you  to  suffer  not  the 
appearance  of  a  summons  to  bring  you  here,  or  to  fret 

*  Thomas  Addis  Emmett,  of  New  York. 


INDECISION.  281 

you,  and  tell  you  you  must  not  obey  it.  Your  want  of 
funds,  and  the  helpless  state  of  your  children,  must  op 
pose  a  barrier,  which  the  Government  will  not  venture  to 
break  down.  Tell  Harding  to  be  of  the  same  mind  with 
my  excellent  c6unsel  here.  Adieu !  in  haste  for  the  mail. 

H.  BLENNERHASSETT. 
MRS.  M.  BLENNERHASSETT. 


Burr  to  Blennerhassett. 

Friday,  August 
I  perceive  the  advantages  from  your  presence,  but  am 
not  at  this  moment  able  to  decide  whether  the  thing  be 
practicable.     One  or  more  of  our  counsel  will  wait  on 
you  this  afternoon,  to  confer  on  this  and  other  points. 

I  am  surrounded  by  visitors,  which  prevents  me  from 
adding  more  than  the  assurances  of  my  respect  and  at 
tachment. 

A.  BURR.* 

To  Blennerhassett. 

NATCHEZ,  August  16th. 

Your  first  letter  from  Lexington  has  just  come  to  hand, 
and,  notwithstanding  the  predictions  of  your  former  one, 
I  do  n't  find  it  by  any  means  so  melancholy  as  the  first  I 
received,  as  it  assures  me  of  your  accommodations  in  that 
place  (which  I  can  neither  bear  to  repeat  or  write)  to  be 

*  Burr's  answer  to  a  note  wishing  to  be  informed  if  he  (Blennerhassett) 
could  be  allowed  to  examine  witnesses  as  his  (Burr's)  agent  or  advocate, 
or  at  least  be  present  at  their  examination. 


282  THE    BLENNERHASSETT    PAPERS.^ 

much  better  than  I  expected.  I  also  feel  now,  that  in 
such  a  court  as  Richmond,  absolute  falsehoods  can't  pass, 
when,  in  opposition  to  all  that  can  be  sworn  to  by  Wood 
county,  you  have  the  most  respectable  witnesses  from  the 
State  of  Ohio ;  and  surely  every  person  in  Belpre*  can 
testify  that  Tyler's  boats  landed  on  the  Jsland  in  noon 
day,  and  had  no  arms  on  board,  and  admitting  that  what 
all  these  villains  said  were  true,  how  were  you  concerned 
in  what  was  done  by  Tyler  or  others  ?  Ashley  has  told 
Mr.  Harding  that  Peter  Taylor  said  something  that  in 
jures  you ;  and  Col.  Burr  writes  in  his  letter  to  Harding, 
which  I  have  seen,  that  "  Mr.  Blennerhassett  has  injured 
him,  both  by  what  he  has  said  and  what  he  has  written." 
Good  God !  what  a  world  this  is  :  tell  Col.  Burr,  from 
me,  if  you  think  it  worth  while,  that  I  wanted  not  thia 
aggravation  to  my  unhappiness ;  at  least,  that  I  looked 
not  for  aggravations  from  him.  He  also  writes  to  tell 
you  to  place  your  family  with  Mrs.  Alston :  tell  him  were 
Mrs.  Alston  only  in  question,  I  would  now,  this  moment, 
without  hesitation,  take  refuge  with  her,  and  that  I 
should  not  think  my  life  even  worth  its  present  value,  did 
not  I  hope  once  more  to  see  and  converse  with  that 
woman  whom  I  think  almost  above  human  nature ;  but 
I  would  at  the  same  time  do  nothing  that  might  lessen 
the  dignity  of  the  attachment  I  feel  for  her. 

We  are  under  the  greatest  obligations  to  Doctor  Com- 
mins,  for  carrying  your  package,  which  you  will  receive 
sooner  than  you  could  any  other  way. 

I  believe,  from  what  I  have  learned,  that  Tyler  will 
injure  you,  if  he  can  ;  he  is  by  this  time  arrested.  Now 
let  me  again  intreat  you  to  spare  no  costs  that  can  serve 


PERJURY.  283 

you ;  if  our  negroes  come  down  from  the  Ohio,  I  repeat 
again,  we  can  make  a  good  beginning  here.  Capt.  Percy 
has  been  here  again,  urging  me  to  go  to  the  Spanish 
dominions,  where  you  will  be  well  received,  and  where  I 
shall  make  a  visit,  when  I  know  the  termination  of  your 
prosecution.  I  spent  three  days  at  Col.  Scott's  since  I 
wrote  the  letter  you  will  receive  with  this.  You  may 
perceive  my  spirits  are  much  mended ;  but  I  am  still  de 
termined  to  adhere  to  what  I  then  said  I  would,  in  case  the 
perjury  of  the  mob  should  prevail ;  though  every  con 
versation  I  hear  on  the  subject  tends  to  encourage  me,  at 
least  with  regard  to  yourself.  I  shall  write  every  mail  to 
assure  you  of  the  health  of  myself  and  the  boys. 

Farewell  for  another  week  !  remember  that  your  fami 
ly  are  well,  and  that  you  are  adored  by  your 

M.  BLENNERHASSETT. 

H.  BLENNERHASSETT,  ESQ. 


t 

To  Blennerhassett. 

NATCHEZ,  Aug.  2Gth,  1807. 

My  usual  depression  of  spirits  has  been  much  increased 
by  not  having  received  any  letter  from  you  by  this  mail, 
aided  by  the  shock  of  hearing  from  Ashley  to-day,  for  the 
first  time,  that  it  was  by  the  perjury  of  Peter  Taylor  that 
a  bill  was  found  against  you.  'T  is  true,  I  feel  fully  con 
fident  such  evidence  must  be  done  away  with ;  but  I  also 
feel,  that  it  is  owing  to  this  alone  that  you  are  in  your 
present  situation,  the  thoughts  of  which  haunt  me  night 
and  day.  Gracious  God !  confined  in  a  prison  in  the  dog- 
days,  and  by  the  perjury  of  a  wretch  not  many  degrees 


284  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

from  a  brute  !  I  used  to  give  him  credit  for  the  utmost 
honesty;  but  it  is  in  vain,  I  am  convinced  more  and 
more  every  day,  to  expect  principle  without  some  refine 
ment,  at  least  where  interest  is  concerned.  Ashley  says 
he  hears  they  have  given  the  wretch  a  tract  of  land  some 
where.  If  this  can  be  proved,  it  will  be  sufficient.  As 
for  Albright,  I  can  make  oath  to  his  secreting  our  two 
negroes,  who  ran  away  when  you  left  the  Island ;  and 
Elmwood,  the  blacksmith,  told  me  of  his  taking  stolen 
melons  and  sweet  potatoes  to  Marietta  to  sell  for  negro 
Jim,  whom  he  saw  steal  them  out  of  the  field,  where 
there  were  no  others  but  mine.  I  see  plainly  enough,  the 
Wood  county  rabble  only  want  some  pretext  to  vindicate 
their  plunder;  but  I  feel  great  confidence  in  the  evidence 
I  trust  you  will  have  from  Marietta  and  Belpre*,  and 
hope  no  lawyers'  fees  will  be  spared.  "Why  can't  I  be 
with  you  ?  But  I  feel  it  would  not  do  ;  your  mind  is 
stronger  without  me,  and  the  boys  are  an  insurmountable 
objection  to  my  going  round,  which  I  should  only  do  in 
a  case  that  I  hope  can't  possibly  happen. 

I  have  only  been  to  Mrs.  Scott's  since  I  heard  of  your 
arrest,  and  shall  probably  not  go  anywhere  until  I  learn 
the  result.  Miss  Percy  is  still  with  me.  Major  T.,  who 
visits  me  often,  begs  to  be  kindly  remembered  to  you. 
Dr.  Commins  left  home,  I  believe,  three  days  ago,  for 
Richmond,  where  he  was  called  as  a  witness  by  Govern 
ment.  He  took  with  him  all  the  papers,  etc.,  you  wrote 
for  from  Lexington,  but  I  suppose  this  will  reach  you 
first,  though  he  went  through  the  wilderness  and  took  a 
pack-horse. 


FEVER    UNAVOIDABLE.  285 

The  boys  are  well,  and  still,  thank  God !  insensible  of 
your  situation,  though  they  often  pierce  me  to  the  heart 
by  their  questions  about  you,  and  threaten  very  often, 
when  I  correct  them,  to  "  tell  their  pappy  how  bad  I 
am.'*  They  both  of  them  join  in  sending,  to  use  their 
own  phrase,  "  their  good  love  to  their  dear  pappy." 

I  wish,  when  your  mind  is  fully  disengaged  from  your 
present  embarrassments,  that  you  would  make  a  thorough 
calculation  of  the  profits  and  losses  between  this  country 
and  the  one  we  have  left.  Perhaps  you  may  sell  the 
Island  ;  if  you  can  do  so,  it  will  be  best ;  if  not,  nothing 
but  a  certain  loss  would  prevent  my  wish  of  returning 
there.  My  attachment  for  that  place  is  strong  indeed, 
but  not  so  strong  as  to  entirely  counterbalance  our  inter 
est  ;  at  the  same  time,  I  would  have  you  consider  there  is 
only  one  thing  in  favor  of  this  country — the  raising  of  cot 
ton — which  for  a  moment  gives  it  any  preference  ;  for,  in 
spite  of  all  you  may  have  heard,  it  is  a  sickly  country, 
both  for  black  and  white.  Intermitting  fever  is  inevita 
ble  ;  both  the  children  have  had  it,  but  Harman's  was 
the  worst;  he  was  completely  cured  by  Dr.  S.,  with 
whom  I  am  much  delighted  as  a  physician.  Dominick 
was  then  attacked,  but  I  stopped  the  progress  of  the  dis 
order  myself.  I  am  told  Bayou  Sara  is  much  more 
healthy  generally  than  the  vicinity  of  Natchez,  where 
fevers  are  constant ;  and  from  this  statement  of  the  sick 
ness  of  this  country  I  leave  you  to  judge  how  far  it  will 
agree  with  your  constitution.  As  to  mine,  I  believe  it  is 
impossible  I  ever  should  have  an  "intermittent;"  I  only 
suffer  at  times  from  the  pain  in  my  breast,  which  uni- 


286  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

formly  increases  in  proportion  to  the  anxiety  of  my  mind. 
I  grow  very  thin,  notwithstanding  my  appetite  is  good; 
but  I  believe  nobody's  mind  ever  had  more  influence  on 
the  body  than  mine,  but  do  n't  let  this  concern  you  ;  all  I 
suffer  now  will  only  tend  to  make  me  completely  happy, 
on  your  delivery  from  your  present  situation,  which,  I 
begin  to  think,  must  take  place  soon.  'T  is  not  possible 
you  can  be  injured  by  the  perjury  of  such  complete 
fools. 

The  cotton  crop  promises  very  badly  on  account  of  the 
drought,  in  all  the  land  about  Natchez ;  but  wherever  the 
land  is  new,  the  drought  does  not  affect  it.  Now  let  me 
urge  you  to  weigh  well  the  advantages  and  disadvan 
tages  of  this  country,  and  let  your  mind  be  no  way  in 
fluenced  by  what  you  have  thought  of  the  society  of  the 
place.  It  is  not  what  I  at  first  supposed  it ;  and  any  way, 
I  consider  it  scarce  a  feather  in  the  scale.  If  you  can  sell 
the  Island,  do  n't  hesitate  to  do  so ;  if  not,  consider  that 
while  we  are  making  money  here  we  are  losing  it  by 
the  house  going  to  rack,  and  the  land  lying  idle  there ; 
whereas,  if  we  can  keep  up  that  place,  it,  with  the  in 
crease  of  our  negroes,  will  be  enough  for  the  boys ; 
then,  on  the  other  hand,  if  we  go  to  Bayou  Sara  and 
plant  cotton  for  four  or  five  years,  we  may,  at  the  end 
of  that  time,  be  enabled  to  go  to  the  Northern  States. 
Consider  well  what  I  have  said,  and  remember  that,  at 
all  events,  your  happiness  is  the  first  object  with  your 

M.  BLENNERHASSETT. 


BUSINESS   ITEMS.  287 

Burr  to  Blennerhassett. 

KICHMOND,  August  27th,  1807. 

DEAR  SIR  : — Mr.  Luckett*  and  I  have  an  unsettled  ac 
count  to  a  considerable  amount.  He  holds  a  bill  indorsed 
by  you.  If  you  can  devise  means  to  procure  him  any  aid 
at  this  moment,  it  would  gratify  me  much. 

Your  faithful  and  obedient,  A.  BURR. 

H.  BLENNERHASSETT,  ESQ. 


Burr  to  Blennerhassett. 

September  1st,  1807. 

DEAR  SIR  : — It  seems  that  some  misapprehension  exists 
on  the  subject  of  the  bill  held  by  Mr.  Luckett.  I  could 
not  with  delicacy  propose  to  you  to  take  up  my  bill ;  but 
I  repeat  that  it  would  gratify  me  that  it  could  be  done. 
My  present  inability  is  too  manifest.  Yours,  perhaps,  not 
very  different.  If,  however,  you  choose  to  request  Alston 
to  assume  this  bill  as  part  of  his  engagement  to  you,  the 
arrangement  would  give  me  real  pleasure,  and  I  have  no 
doubt  may  be  made  satisfactory  to  him. 

I  felicitate  you  on  the  events  of  yesterday,  and  am 
alway  faithfully  yours. 

A.  BURR. 
H.  BLENNERHASSETT,  ESQ. 

*  Mr.  Luckett  advanced  money  to  Col.  Burr  on  Blennerhassett' s  indorse 
ment. 


288  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

To  Mrs.  Bhnnerhassett. 

RICHMOND,  YA.,  Sept.  l~Lth,  1807. 

A  few  days  have  elapsed  since  I  might  have  written  to 
you  to  announce  the  second  event  that  rendered  last 
Monday  remarkable  as  a  day  on  which  I  might  he  sup 
posed  to  have  "been  elated  with  the  long  desired  change 
of  my  condition  for  the  better.  That  was  the  termina 
tion  of  my  imprisonment,  by  the  abandonment  on  the 
part  of  the  prosecutors  of  the  indictment  against  me  for 
treason,  and  my  admission  to  bail,  under  the  other  indict 
ment  for  a  misdemeanor.  But  the  receipt  of  your  letter 
of  the  3d  ultimo,  by  a  speedy  arrival,  was  the  event 
which  constituted  the  first  blessing  that  day  returned  to 
so  many  hopes  and  prayers  offered  up  to  obtain  it.  I 
have  since  received,  I  believe,  all  your  other  letters  from 
Marietta,  though  your  negligence  in  omitting  dates  dis 
tresses  me,  as  I  am  ignorant  of  any  time  which  I  can  con 
nect  with  any  thing  you  tell  me  of  yourself,  the  boys,  or 
our  friends.  I  am  delighted  with  the  profiles.  It  would 
cost  you  more  calculation  than  you  will  ever  enter  upon 
to  discover  the  one-hundredth  part  of  the  lines,  or  parts 
of  lines  and  curves,  on  which  I  shall  rapturously  specu 
late  in  these  bits  of  paper.  You  know  it  is  not  my  tem 
per  to  feel  surprise  or  emotion  on  transition  from  one 
extreme  to  another.  I  therefore  passed  from  imprison 
ment  to  liberty  with  the  same  unconcern  with  which  you 
have  sometimes  observed  me  to  take  the  air,  after  three 
days  voluntary  confinement.  But  this  may  be  more  ex 
plicable  from  some  daily  notes  I  have  kept  for  you  since 
my  arrival  at  Lexington.  Our  ingenious  Harding  will 


DEATH.  289 

not  be  a  little  surprised  to  learn  from  you,  that  after  a 
deprivation  of  liberty  for  fifty-three  days,  I  was  freed 
from  the  treason  case,  on  which  I  had  been  arrested  at 
Lexington,  without  arraignment,  and  shall  probably  get 
clear  of  the  misdemeanor  case  in  the  same  way,  by  the 
success  of  six  similar  points,  which  will  be  decided,  I 
expect  to-morrow,  by  the  court,  in  favor  of  Burr.  So 
you  see  I  have  little  prospect  of  an  opportunity  to  speak 
in  my  own  cases,  especially  as  I  am  so  well  provided  with 
counsel.  Still  there  is  a  chance  of  my  being  here  put  on 
trial  for  the  misdemeanor,  or  being  involved  in  the  issue 
of  a  motion  to  send  us  to  the  Kentucky  district  for  trial, 
in  either  of  which  events  I  shall  say  something. 

I  have  had  two  dollars  worth  of  letters  forwarded 
from  Philadelphia :  first,  from  Ireland ;  two  from  Mar 
tin,  one  telling  me  to  inquire  after  an  estate  he  thinks 
has  fallen  to  me  of  £6,000  a  year,  by  the  death  of 
Lord  Eoss,  ci-devant  Oxmantown,  and  Captain  Jones, 
in  the  "West  Indies,  next  to  whom  I  stand  in  the  entail. 
I  do  not  wish  you  to  build  at  all  on  this  intelligence, 
though  it  is  not  at  all  improbable  it  may  be  realized. 
Should  that  ever  happen,  in  how  many  instances  may  our 
gratitude  do  justice,  in  fact,  to  our  dispositions.  I  hope 
I  shall  within  a  week  re-open  the  small  credit  our  nar 
row  funds  will  entitle  us  to  in  Philadelphia.  Lewis  has 
already  written  to  me,  to  say  he  will  endeavor  to  have 
every  bill  taken  up  his  house  had  rejected,  that  he  can 
come  at.  I  board  with  Major  Smith,  at  a  comfortable 
house,  as  cheap  as  we  can,  i.  e.,  at  seven  dollars  a  week 
each,  but  shall  proceed  to  Marietta  as  soon  as  I  am  dis 
charged  from  the  court.,  as  I  do  not  expect  any  attempt, 
19 


290  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

if  made  for  our  transmissal  to  another  district,  will  pre 
vail.  Do,  however,  continue  to  write  hither  until  other 
wise  advised. 

I  can  add  little  more  by  this  mail  than  to  say,  I  am  not 
sufficiently  satisfied  you  can  so  surely  he  healthy  where 
you  are,  in  the  fall,  as  if  you  were  six  or  seven  miles  from 
the  river.  Therefore,  on  the  earliest  threatening  to  your 
self  or  the  hoys  of  any  autumnal  attack,  I  entreat  and 
enjoin  you  to  let  nothing  prevent  your  removal. 

It  would  be  impossible  to  enumerate  all  our  excellent 
and  accomplished  friends ;  still  more  so  to  say  the  hun 
dredth  part  of  what  my  gratitude  would  express  to  them 
for  their  generous  attention  to  you.  You  will  acquit  me 
of  this  duty  with  every  one  of  them  as  well  as  you  can. 
I  wrote  to  Harding,  who  I  hope  will  long  enjoy  his  and 
Winthrop's  good  health.  Colonel  and  Mrs.  Scott,  Mrs. 
"Whittle,  and  friends,  have,  with  many  others,  claims 
upon  my  grateful  regards  that  will  never  be  obliterated. 
Your  husband,  HARMAN  BLENNERHASSETT. 

P.  S.  I  will  endeavor  to  execute  so  much  of  your  wishes 
as  time  and  circumstances  will  permit. 


To  Mrs.  Blennerhassett. 

RICHMOND,  YA.,  Oct.  7^A,  1807 

I  write  this  by  Col.  McKee,  who  leaves  town  to-day  for 
Natchez ;  though,  from  occasional  interruptions  he  expects 
in  his  journey,  you  may  not  get  it  until  after  one  or  two 
other  letters  of  more  advanced  date  may  reach  you  by  post 


ANTICIPATION.  291 

It  will,  however,  serve  to  quiet  your  anxiety  for  my  delay 
in  arriving  at  Xatchez,  as  that  pleasure  must  give  way  to 
the  control  of  contingencies  I  can  not  govern.  This  day 
all  the  evidence  is  closed  on  the  motion  now  before  the 
court,  for  our  transmissal  to  Kentucky ;  the  debates  will 
end,  and  the  motion  be  refused,  I  have  every  reason  to 
believe,  by  Saturday ;  but,  in  that  event,  I  shall  be  de 
tained,  three  or  four  days,  to  put  my  demands  on  Col. 
Burr  on  some  footing  of  adjustment ;  after  which  I  pro 
pose  to  use  all  diligence  I  can  to  haste  to  Marietta,  from 
whence,  I  fear,  I  shall  find  great  difficulty  in  effecting  the 
recovery  and  removal  of  the  negroes.  I  can  not  teaze 
you  with  particulars  of  my  expectations  ;  I  may  have  to 
go  to  Philadelphia  or  South  Carolina,  and,  possibly,  not 
be  able  to  descend  the  river  until  after  it  shall  break  up  in 
the  latter  part  of  January.  You  must  economize  in  the 
mean  time,  and  seek  all  the  resources  you  can  draw  from 
the  friends  who  surround  you.  I  will  write  again  by 
Tuesday's  post;  I  have  not  cared  to  risk  many  letters,  as 
you  see  weekly  by  the  papers,  or  must  conclude,  I  am 
every  day  before  the  court.  I  wish  you  to  be  very 
reserved  in  all  your  communications,  except  with  Hard 
ing,  whom  I  wonder  you  have  not  mentioned  in  every 
letter  I  received  from  you.  I  had  none  since  Sunday's 
mail,  and  since  the  news  of  our  boy's  sickness,  by  yours 
of  25th  August ;  I  am  truly  miserable  in  my  alarms  for 
my  Harman,  whose  situation,  as  well  as  your  own,  with 
regard  to  the  pain  in  your  breast,  I  can  see  you  have  im 
parted  to  me  with  reluctance  and  reserve. 

Perhaps  we  shall  yet  enjoy  ease  and  wealth,  if  Martin's 
expectations  of  my  succeeding  to  the  estates  of  the  late 


292  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

D.  Harman,  by  the  death  of  Lord  Oxmantown,  and  Capt. 
Jones,  shall  be  realized ;  therefore,  I  only  beseech  Heaven 
to  inspire  you  with  the  same  prospects  of  contentment 
and  delight  with  which  I  can  enjoy  the  remainder  of  my 
days  in  a  cottage  with  you  and  our  boys — God  grant  I 
am  warranted  to  add  them.  Assure  Dr.  S.  of  perfect 
esteem  and  confidence  in  his  talents  and  learning,  and 
cultivate  the  opportunities  of  his  closest  attendance  upon 
yourself  and  the  boys.  I  have  no  news  by  this  opportunity ; 
it  is  uncertain  and  precarious.  Adieu  ! 

HARMAN  BLENNERHASSETT. 

P.  S.  I  hope  Harding  has  not  missed  hearing  that  J. 
S.  Lewis,  in  his  individual  capacity,  will  honor  bills, 
drawn  for  your  necessities,  to  the  amount  of  $500. 


Devereaux  to  Blennerhassett. 

BALTIMORE,  Oct.  12th,  1807. 

MY  DEAREST  FRIEND  : — I  know  you  must  think  it 
strange  at  not  having  heard  from  me  since  your  arrival 
in  Richmond,  and  I  am  sure  you  must  think  it  untimely 
in  bidding  you  now  farewell,  to  give  only  this  paltry 
proof  of  my  most  affectionate  regard  and  friendship  ;  yes, 
my  dear  Blennerhassett,  my  thoughts  have  been  con 
stantly  occupied  in  reflecting  on  those  poignant  and  try 
ing  afflictions,  with  which  it  has  pleased  a  cruel  destiny 
to  overwhelm  you,  and  for  which  I  feel,  not  as  the  gen 
eral  run  of  mankind,  but  as  one,  I  may  say  without 
vanity,  not  unworthy  to  participate,  as  I  really  and  sin 
cerely  do,  in  your  griefs.  How  often  have  I  thought  of 


TO    HIS    WIFE.  293 

Mrs.  Blennerhassett ;  I  feel  so  much  for  your  misfortunes 
that  I  durst  not  glance  at  the  cause  of  them.  I  am  now 
on  the  eve  of  embarking  for  our  loved  and  native  country ; 
I  go  by  the  way  of  England,  for  the  more  safety.  Per 
mission  was  granted  me,  by  the  last  administration,  to 
return  for  a  twelvemonth,  and  I  now  take  advantage  of 
it  in  the  hope  of  recovering  my  former  estate,  which,  if 
I  should,  I  may  not  only  be  a  very  independent,  but  a 
rich  man  in  this  country.  Should  I  succeed,  my  friend — 
of  which  there  is  but  little  doubt — you  and  your  estima 
ble  lady  shall  find  by  my  actions,  instead  of  words,  what 
I  truly  and  sincerely  feel  toward  you  both.  In  the  mean 
time,  I  have  made  a  friend  for  you,  who  offers  to  come 
forward  in  a  pecuniary  point  of  view,  if  necessary.  The 
person  is  Mr.  Pierce  Butler,  of  Philadelphia,  a  noble- 
minded  countryman  of  burs,  with  whom  you  need  feel  no 
scruple  in  calling  upon  in  this  way.  The  offer  came,  un 
solicited,  from  himself,  and  he  requested  me  to  mention 
it  to  you.  As  I  can  not,  unfortunately,  at  present,  do 
more,  I  have  nothing  more  to  say,  and  conclude,  my  dear 
friend,  with  an  affectionate  remembrance  to  Mrs.  Blen 
nerhassett, 

Your  truly  attached  and  unalterable  friend, 

J.  DEVEREUX. 
HARMAN  BLENNERHASSETT,  ESQ. 


To  Mrs.  Blennerhassett. 

RICHMOND,  VA.,  Oct.  I9th,  1807. 

This  day's  mail,  my  beloved,  brought  me  your  double 
letter  from  Natchez,  and  Col.  Ellis's,  of  the  3d  and  8th 


294  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

ult.,  though  I  see,  by  the  Washing-ton  postmark,  it  did 
not  leave  that  office  before  the  15th.  You  have  not,  I 
find,  been  spared  by  the  climate.  Well,  I  trust  in  the 
favor  of  Heaven  for  the  full  re-establishment  of  your 
health,  through  the  same  mercy  to  me  that  has  granted 
your  recovery.  My  misery  has  been  severe,  from  not 
having  heard  from  you  for  three  weeks  back.  During 
my  anxiety  for  the  cause  of  my  disappointment,  I  attrib 
uted  the  latter  to  a  relapse  of  Harman's  sickness,  which 
much  distressed  me.  There  is  certainly  a  Providence 
which  ordains,  in  compassion  of  our  weaknesses,  that  we 
shall  sometimes  dread  calamities  far  less  than  that  it  is 
pleased  to  conceal  from  us.  But  why  do  you  permit  your 
concern  for  me  to  weaken  your  strength  or  deject  your 
spirits  ?  you  might  conclude  from  the  papers,  the  worst 
that  can  befall  me  is  the  loss  of  three  or  four  months' 
detention  from  you.  To-morrow,  I  expect  we  will  all  be 
discharged ;  after  which  nothing  shall  retard  my  return 
to  you,  but  the  care  I  must  give  to  your  property  and 
affairs.  Why  fret  about  what  you  regard  without  due 
consideration,  the  disappointment  of  that  confidence  you 
have  heedlessly  placed  in  mankind  ?  What  claim  could 
your  merits  have  upon  the  envy  of  upstart's  ?  Is  not  the 
sincere  attachment  of  two  or  three  friends  of  more  value 
than  the  momentary  and  lying  attentions  of  the  crowd  ? 
But  why  dwell  as  you  do  upon  the  Island  ?  Have  you 
forgotten  Marietta  and  Wood  county,  or  can  you  regen 
erate  them  ?  or,  if  we  should  succeed  to  £6,000  or  £7,000 
a  year,  by  the  decease  of  Lord  Oxmantown,  etc.,  would 
you  bury  it  with  ourselves  on  the  Island  ?  Compose  your 
self,  therefore,  till  we  meet,  if  it  should  not  be  these  six 


FRIENDSHIP    PROVEN.  295 

months ;  if  we  should  still  prefer  a  cabin  near  Fort 
Adams,  but  six  miles  from  the  Mississippi  swamp,  where 
none  of  us,  please  God,  need  fear  to  encounter  the  climate. 
I  rejoice  to  learn  that  you  find  a  new  friend  to  replace 
some  old  ones,  who  have  not .  stood  the  test.  If  H.  has 
not  sunk  the  man  in  the  merchant,  he  will  prove  a 
brilliant  exception  to  Harding's  rule,  pronounced  against 
the  influence  of  mercantile  habits  and  obscure  birth.  It 
will  be  no  consideration  with  him,  that  we  may  yet  draw 
for  his  indemnity  upon  other  funds  than  our  grateful 
hearts.  Harding's  own  rule  will  preserve  him  steadfast ; 
but  you  should  not  mention  to  any  living  person  the 
pecuniary  prospects  opened  to  us,  were  it  only  the  better 
to  enable  us  to  prove  the  hearts  of  others,  but  also  be 
cause  it  may  not  be  realized. 

It  will  not  surprise  you  to  learn  that  I  have  had  unsolicit 
ed  offers  of  horses  and  money,  which  I  have  declined.  ~No 
less  than  three  Irishmen  have  come  forward  in  this  way  ; 
namely,  Jas.  O'Hennessey,  a  Kerry-man,  who  never  spoke 
to  me  until  he  rode  hither,  105  miles  to  see  me  ;  Mr.  Pat. 
Hendren,  a  lawyer,  in  easy  circumstances,  settled  thirty 
miles  from  hence ;  and  Mr.  Pierce  Butler,  whom  I  have 
never  seen,  who  resides  in  Philadelphia,  is  very  wealthy, 

and  has  made  an  unlimited  offer  through  D .     Mr. 

Chevallie'r  lent  me  §1,000  to-day,  to  send  to  a  negro  sale, 
which  I  have  not  used,  and  shall  return  untouched ;  and, 
while  I  was  confined  in  the  Penitentiary,  General  H.  Lee 
offered  me  similar  aid  through  a  friend.  Thus  we  find  a 
few  choice  spirits  to  compensate  for  the  inconstancy  of 
false  friends.  May  they  reconcile  us  to  the  world. 


296  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

I  have  only  written  one  letter  by  mail  since  I  left  the 
Penitentiary.  I  missed  two  post-days  through  my  attend 
ance  on  the  court,  or  some  other  unavoidable  occupation ; 
but  I  confided  two  letters  for  you  to  private  conveyance, 
by  Strickland  and  Col.  McKee ;  if  you  have  not  already 
discontinued  writing  to  me  at  this  place,  you  will  do  so 
from  the  time  this  reaches  you.  I  shall  possibly  go  to 
Baltimore  and  Philadelphia  before  I  see  the  Ohio ;  if  so, 
I  shall  accompany  Burr  to  one  or  the  other,  in  a  day  or 
two.  I  forbear  to  trouble  you  with  my  motives  until  I 
can  impart  the  result. 

Our  long-protracted  contest  with  the  Government  has 
blasted  "Wilkinson's  fame  and  credit,  never  to  be  revived, 
though  the  investigations  may  not  exhibit  Burr's  charac 
ter  or  designs  unequivocally  immaculate.  But  my  name 
has  so  regularly  met  your  eye  in  the  papers  weekly,  that 
it  was  unnecessary  to  detail  particulars ;  you  would,  of 
course,  conclude  I  was  daily  present  in  court.  As  to  my 
health,  I  never  enjoyed  better ;  though  I  had  two  or  three 
slight  illnesses  while  in  confinement,  I  have  since  recov 
ered  much  more  flesh  than  I  lost  there. 

Tuesday,  20th. — Since  writing  the  above,  yesterday 
evening,  I  had  a  pretty  long  consultation  with  Burr,  the 
result  of  which  is  a  more  probable  conjecture  that  I  shall 
go  to  Philadelphia  with  him,  to  try  his  success  there  in 
raising  some  money  for  me.  I  will  write  frequently  to 
advise  you  of  my  movements.  I  have  no  words  to  ex 
press  my  feelings  for  Kitty  Perry's  kindness.  I  hope  we 
shall  ever  retain  her  attachment. 

Your  husband,  H.  BLENNERHASSETT. 


MEN   OF    TALENT.  297 

For  various  reasons,  which  it  is  not  necessary  here  to 
enumerate,  the  trials  of  Burr,  Blennerhassett,  Dayton, 
John  Smith  of  Ohio,  Comfort  Tyler,  Israel  Smith  of  ]S"ew 
York,  and  Davis  Floyd,  were  postponed,  from  time  to  time, 
until  the  third  of  August.  From  the  fifth  until  the  seven 
teenth  of  the  month ,  the  court  was  engaged  in  obtaining  a 
jury  for  the  trial  of  Burr,  and  discussing  points  of  law. 

Never  before,  in  the  history  of  the  country,  was  wit 
nessed  so  grand  a  display  of  legal  acumen  and  forensic 
talent.  Upon  the  bench  sat  the  venerated  Marshall,  spot 
less  in  purity,  and,  for  soundness  of  judgment,  without 
an  equal.  Calm,  dignified,  and  attentive,  he  analyzed  the 
arguments  of  counsel,  and  noted  their  relevancy  with  the 
nicety  of  a  critic.  At  the  bar  was  Wirt,  whose  fervid  and 
soul-thrilling  eloquence,  even  on  this  very  trial,  placed 
him  at  once  among  the  first  of  American  orators.  With 
a  brilliancy  of  imagination  which  startled  his  auditors, 
he  swayed  the  minds  of  the  jury  with  wonderful  effect. 
There,  too,  was  Martin,  who  had  been  previously  distin 
guished,  in  the  trial  of  Judge  Chase,  before  the  United 
States  Senate.  Every  word  that  he  uttered,  like  a  two- 
edged  sword,  pierced  the  arguments  of  his  opponents  at 
every  point.  There  was  Hay ;  always  ready  to  take  ad 
vantage  of  suspicious  circumstances,  and  wield  them, 
with  tenfold  force,  against  the  prisoner.  There  was  Ran 
dolph, — slow,  calculating,  and  careful;  building  up  the 
vulnerable  points  of  his  case  against  the  attacks  of  his 
adversaries.  There  was  Botts, — facetious  and  playful; 
sometimes  descending  to  the  ludicrous,  but  often  rising, 
with  convincing  argument,  to  the  grand.  There  was 
Wickham, — dignified  and  commanding;  taking  up  his 


298  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

subject  with  a  master  hand,  and  holding  it  to  view,  in 
every  conceivable  light.  And  there,  too,  was  Burr, — 
proudly  pre-eminent,  in  point  of  intelligence,  to  his  breth 
ren  of  the  bar.  He  had  been  the  Yice-President  of  the 
United  States.  He  was  accused  of  the  highest  and  dark 
est  crime  in  the  criminal  code.  He  stood  before  the  su 
preme  tribunal  of  his  country,  with  the  eyes  of  the 
nation  gazing  upon  him.  In  the  opinion  of  many,  he 
was  already  condemned.  He  had  the  talent  and  tact, 
and  the  resources  of  the  government,  to  contend  against. 
Every  faculty  of  his  mind  was  exerted  in  his  own  defense. 
The  magnitude  of  the  charge ;  the  number  of  persons  in 
volved;  the  former  high  standing  and  extraordinary 
fortunes  of  the  accused,  had  excited  an  interest  in  the 
community,  such  as  never  before  had  been  known.  The 
witnesses  against  him  were  mostly  officers  of  the  Govern 
ment,  with  whom,  at  one  time  or  another,  he  had  been  in 
some  way  connected. 

For  twenty-six  days,  the  court  was  arduously  engaged  in 
the  investigation  of  the  offense.  The  evidence  of  sixty  wit 
nesses  had  to  be  examined  and  noted.  Meanwhile,  there 
being  no  suitable  quarters  in  the  city,  Burr  was  confined 
in  the  Penitentiary,  in  the  suburbs  of  Eichmond.  Every 
day  he  was  matched  into  court,  on  foot,  escorted  by  a  body 
guard  of  two  hundred  men,  which  would  have  done  honor 
to  an  eastern  prince.  On  the  first  of  September,  the  jury 
returned  a  verdict — u  that  Aaron  Burr  is  not  proved  to 
be  guilty,  under  the  indictment,  by  any  evidence  submitted 
to  us  ;  we,  therefore,  find  him  not  guilty"  Burr  objected 
to  the  verdict,  as  being  incorrect  in  point  of  form,  and 
asked  that  the  same  might  be  given  in  the  usual  way — 


NOT   GUILTY.  299 

simply,  "  Not  Guilty."  Mr.  Hay  answered,  that,  in  fact? 
it  was  a  verdict  of  acquittal ;  and  that  it  should  be  en 
tered  in  the  jury's  own  words. 

"There  was  no  precise  form  of  words  by  which  the 
jury  should  be  governed." 

"  They  have  no  right  to  return  a  written  verdict  at 
all,"  replied  Burr ;  "  they  have  no  right  to  depart  from 
the  usual  form."  He  then  called  for  the  recital  of  the 
common  directions  given  the  jury  by  the  clerk.  They 
were  read,  and  end  as  follows : 

"  If  you  find  him  guilty,  you  are  to  say  so :  if  not 
guilty,  you  are  to  say  so,  and  no  more" 

"  The  jury  can  not  be  indulged,"  said  Burr.  "  They 
have  defaced  a  paper  belonging  to  the  court,  by  writing 
upon  it  words  which  they  have  no  right  to  write.  They 
ought  to  be  sent  back."  After  a  short  consultation,  it 
was  agreed  that  the  simple  verdict  of  "  Not  Guilty " 
might  be  entered  on  the  records  of  the  court. 

On  the  ninth  of  September,  Burr  was  again  arraigned, 
upon  an  indictment  for  a  misdemeanor,  which  consisted 
of  seven  counts ;  the  substance  of  which  was,  that  Aaron 
Burr  did  set  on  foot  a  military  enterprise,  to  be  carried 
on  against  the  territory  of  a  foreign  prince,  viz.,  the  prov 
ince  of  Mexico,  which  was  within  the  territory  of  the  King 
of  Spain,  with  whom  the  United  States  were  at  peace. 

After  the  prosecution  had  examined  some  of  their  wit 
nesses,  and  the  court  had  decided  that  the  testimony  of 
others  was  not  relevant,  the  District  Attorney  made  a 
motion  to  discharge  the  jury.  To  this  motion  Burr 
objected;  insisting  upon  a  verdict.  This  was  on  the  fif 
teenth  of  the  month.  The  court,  being  of  opinion  that 


300  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

the  jury  could  not,  in  this  stage  of  the  case,  be  discharged, 
without  the  consent  of  the  accused,  they  accordingly- 
retired,  and  very  soon  returned  with  a  verdict  of  "  Not 
Guilty." 

To  Mrs.  Blennerhassett. 

RICHMOND,  VA.,  Oct.  22d,  1807. 

Ashley  offers  a  desirable  opportunity  of  informing  you 
of  the  effect  of  the  final  order -of  the  court  here,  which 
is,  that  Burr  and  myself  are  to  be  tried  at  Chillicothe,  on 
the  first  Monday  in  next  January,  for  a  misdemeanor.  I 
speak  of  the  effect,  because  it  is  generally  understood  the 
Government  will  drop  all  further  proceedings.  The  judge 
has  given  this  as  his  private  opinion  off  the  bench.  Hay 
has  expressed  the  same  belief;  and  all  further  ideas  of 
prosecuting  for  treason  must  be  at  an  end,  as  the  judge, 
in  giving  his  opinion  yesterday,  declared  no  ground  was 
laid  before  him,  by  the  evidence,  to  entertain  a  suspicion 
of  an  overt  act,  having  been  committed,  which  was  essen 
tial  in  making  out  the  charge,  though  he  thought  proof 
enough  had  been  exhibited  of  a  treasonable  design.  It  is 
therefore  probable  the  recognizance  I  entered  into  yester 
day  with  Doctor  Commins  and  Major  Smith,  my  securi 
ties  for  my  appearance  at  Chillicothe,  will  in  the  end  be 
of  no  other  use  than  to  enlarge  the  records  of  the  court. 

Thus,  you  perceive,  I  shall  probably  never  again  be  a 
prisoner,  and  will  not  be  prevented  from  descending  the 
river,  before  it  closes,  if  I  do  not  learn,  by  intelligence 
expected  from  the  President  the  day  after  to-morrow, 
through  the  Attorney-general,  that  Government  intends 
to  abandon  all  further  proceedings  against  us. 


CALCULATIONS.  301 

I  think  I  shall  go  with  "  B."  from  hence,  on  Saturday, 
for  Philadelphia,  four  days  journey  thither,  and  a  stay  of 
three  or  four  days  there  will  leave  me  a  full  month  for 
my  journey  to  Marietta,  the  transacting  of  whatever  busi 
ness  I  can  finish  in  that  quarter,  and  getting  under  way 
afloat. 

I  will  write  a  line,  through  the  Federal  city,  to  apprise 
you  of  my  freedom  from  further  probable  molestation 
by  Government,  or  obstruction  in  my  journey  to  Natchez, 
where  I  hope  to  arrive,  not  far  from  New- Year's  day. 
One  way  or  the  other,  I  am  very  anxious  this  informa 
tion  should  reach  you  before  you  misconstrue  or  brood 
upon  the  statements  you  see  in  the  papers  of  A.  Burr  and 
myself,  being  here  committed,  or  sent  off  to  Ohio.  My 
chief  object  in  going  to  Philadelphia  is,  to  arrange  my 
pecuniary  demands  upon  A.  B.,  though  only  in  the  pros 
pect  of  securing  them,  and  to  raise  by  the  friendships  of 
Mr.  Butler,  or  Joe  Lewis,  as  much  cash  as  will  enable  me 
to  purchase  a  dozen  slaves,  whose  hire  or  labor  may  give 
us  subsistence  until  we  learn  the  result  of  our  expecta 
tions  from  Ireland,  and  support  our  independence  after 
they  may  fail.  I  will  dispatch  my  letter  through  the 
Federal  city  this  evening,  but  will  not  close  this  before 
to-morrow,  to  collect  further  intelligence  for  you. 

All  friends  of  the  Chief  Justice  here  are  as  much  dissat 
isfied  with  his  opinion  yesterday  as  Government  has 
been  with  all  his  former  decisions.  He  is  a  good  man, 
and  an  able  lawyer,  but  timid  and  yielding  under  the 
fear  of  the  multitude,  led,  as  it  were,  by  the  vindictive 
spirit  of  the  party  in  power.  But  you  will  console  your 
self  in  the  assurance  of  my  wanting  nothing,  through  the 


302  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

support  of  many  friends.  And  should  my  obligations, 
under  my  recognizance,  prevent  my  return  to  you,  as  I 
had  hoped  above,  you  must  yet  weather  it  out,  without 
attempting  a  voyage  or  a  journey  which,  instead  of 
hastening  our  meeting,  would  possibly,  at  this  season, 
prevent  it  forever,  in  this  world. 

October  23d. — I  shall  be  off  to-morrow  or  next  day, 
with  Dr.  Commins,  etc.  He  and  myself  are  endeavoring 
to  procure  some  negroes  in  partnership,  upon  part  credit, 
but  I  can't  answer  for  our  success.  I  have  no  hopes  of 
learning  here,  as  I  expected,  the  designs  of  J. ;  but  if 
they  are  hostile,  I  shall  find  means  of  effecting  my 
wishes,  of  which  I  have  little  doubt.  Endeavor  with 
Capt.  P.  to  procure  us  a  lodging  in  his  neighborhood; 
it  may  be  very  convenient.  You  will  hereafter  learn  the 
motives  of  this  suggestion,  but  I  shall  write  more  fully 
from  Philadelphia. 

Saturday,  24£A. — I  leave  this  at  5  o'clock  to-morrow 
morning,  in  company  with  Dr.  Commins  ;  Burr  and  L. 
Martin  follow  next  day.  I  shall  stop  a  day  at  the 
Federal  city,  to  learn  the  disposition  of  Government, 
where  I  have  no  doubt  I  shall  obtain  a  release  from  all 
further  demands  upon  me  in  a  criminal  way  :  but.  if  I  am 
not  certified  of  this,  I  shall  not  yet  be  bereft  of  resources 
to  meet  and  indemnify  you,  in  as  reasonable  a  space  of 
time  as  you  should  expect.  I  have  more  to  do  to-night 
than  will  give  me  half  sleep.  Farewell!  I  will  write 
from  Philadelphia,  if  not  sooner. 

Your  faithful  husband,          HAR.  BLENNERHASSETT. 


PRIVATE  JOURNAL.  303 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

[Blennerhassett's  Private  Journal,  kept  during  the  trial,  wherein  are 
minutely  narrated  the  incidents  which  occurred  from  the  time  'of  his 
arrest,  in  Kentucky,  until  his  discharge  at  Richmond.] 

RICHMOND,  YA.,  Aug.  4^,  1807. 
WE  set  out  as  usual  from  Scottsville  before  day,  rode 

twelve  miles   to  breakfast,  then   proceeded  to    T 's, 

eight  miles  on  our  way,  where  we  rested  one  hour  in  ex 
cessive  heat;  afterward,  proceeded  to  Richmond,  where 
we  arrived  at  forty-five  minutes  past  2,  P.  M.  Distance 

from  Lexington,  564  miles.     From  T ?s,  Mr.  Meade 

sent  a  note  to  Major  Scott,  the  federal  Marshal  for  the 
district  of  Virginia,  to  inform  him  of  our  approach.  We 
traveled  this  last  stage  as  usual,  until  we  got  within 
three-quarters  of  a  mile  of  Manchester,  where  Mr.  Meade 
left  us,  at  a  turnpike  gate,  and  rode  off  at  a  quick  pace. 

Now  Capt.  took  the  command  of  the  party,  and 

said  to  me  that  it  would  be  proper  to  observe  some  order ; 
to  which  I  answered,  I  had  no  objection.  He  then  ordered 
Mr.  Morton,  the  High  Sheriff  of  Kentucky,  and  Mr.  Wil 
lis  Morgan,  to  form  a  file  in  front,  Mr.  McCally  and  Mr. 
David  Todd  to  form  another  in  the  rear,  directing  me  to 
ride  single  between  the  files,  while  he  took  his  station  in 
front  of  the  whole ;  in  this  order  he  led  the  escort  with 
the  Drisoner,  in  an  easy  walk,  under  a  broiling  sun,  over 


304  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

a  road  in  which  I  was  almost  suffocated  by  the  dust, 
owing  to  a  long  drought  with  which  the  country  seemed 
to  have  been  affected,  and  a  smart  breeze  in  our  rear. 
During  this  embarrassment  I  called  to  the  gentlemen  in 
front  of  me  to  observe,  "  that  I  supposed  it  was  not  neces 
sary  those  in  the  rear  should  ride  so  close  to  me."  They 
did  so,  probably,  from  the  Captain's  having  used  the 
words  "%close  order  "  in  forming  the  procession.  Those 
in  front,  however,  Mr.  Morton,  or  Mr.  Morgan,  answered 
me  in  the  negative  ;  upon  which  the  rear  file  fell  back  a 
few  paces.  We  continued  still  in  the  same  order,  in  which 
I  endeavored  to  keep  my  station,  as  was  assigned  me,  as 

nearly  as  possible,  until  we  drew  near  to  M bridge, 

over  James  river,  when  the  Captain  left  his  station  in  the 
front  and  rode  back  to  the  rear,  I  suppose  to  order  them 
to  ride  closer  up,  for  they  immediately  afterward  did  so. 
We  now  reached  the  bridge,  on  which  the  Captain  shook 
hands  with  Col.  Meyo,  en  passant,  and  telling  him  one  of 
the  gentlemen  in  the  rear  would  pay  the  toll,  which  Mr. 
Todd  did  very  expeditiously,  without  much  deviation 
from  his  station.  We  proceeded  at  the  same  gait,  until 
we  entered  the  Main-street,  commonly  called  the  Brick- 
row,  where  I  was  disappointed  to  see  no  particular  notice 
taken  of  the  party,  except  by  a  little  boy,  who  called  out 
to  some  of  his  comrades,  "  0,  see  the  troop  of  horse,  but 
they  have  forgot  their  colors  ! "  The  walking  gait  was 
still  preserved  until  we  got  in  sight  of  the  Washington 
tavern,  when  the  Captain  was  pleased  to  trot  up  to  the 
house,  in  which  pace  we  followed  him  as  closely  as  possi 
ble.  On  alighting  from  my  horse,  I  was  welcomed  by 
Mr.  Meade,  in  the  presence  of  many  gentlemen  standing 


OLD   FRIENDS.  305 

in  the  portico.  He  then  asked  me  to  go  up  stairs,  ordered 
dinner,  etc.,  after  which  he  delivered  me  into  the  custody 
of  the  Deputy  Marshal  of  the  Virginia  district,  by  whom 
I  was  conducted  in  a  carriage  to  the  Penitentiary,  Mr. 
Meade  and  the  Captain  accompanying  me.  In  the  even 
ing  I  was  visited  by  Mr.  Alston,  Mr.  Mercer  and  Mr. 
Randolph;  the  latter  having  obligingly  tendered  me  his 
services  and  advice  as  a  lawyer.  Here  my  apartments 
are  large  and  convenient,  but  very  warm,  from  the  hight 
of  the  windows  preventing  a  free  admission  of  air.  The 
Deputy  Marshal,  on  taking  charge  of  me,  read  a  warrant 
by  Judge  Marshall,  but  refused  to  leave  it,  or  a  copy, 
with  me. 

"WEDNESDAY,  AUGUST  5,  1807. 

I  slept  until  7  o'clock  ;  had  a  light  breakfast  this  morn 
ing  from  the  tavern ;  hired  a  servant  at  $13  a  month,  by 
the  week,  he  finding  himself;  was  visited  by  Mr.  Julian 
Dandridge,  with  whom  I  used  to  assist  here,  seven  years 
ago,  at  the  Harmonic  Society;  by  Prichard,  the  book 
seller,  whose  hospitality  I  remember  then  to  have  re 
ceived,  and  who  tendered  me  his  best  services,  reminding 
me  of  some  pecuniary  accommodation  I  had  conferred 
upon  him,  which  I  had  forgotten.  Visited  again  by  Mr. 
Alston,  who  brought  me  a  letter  from  Col.  Burr ;  also,  by 
Dudley  Woodbridge,  jun.,  Edmond  Dana,  with  letters  from 
Miller  and  Col.  Gushing,  by  Mr.  John  Banks,  who  re 
minded  me  of  my  gold  chronometer  in  his  possession,  and 
by  Mr.  Craughton,  who  conferred  great  civilities  on  me 
seven  years  ago  at  Fredericksburg,  and  now  warmly  ten 
dered  me  his  best  services.  Mr.  Alston  repeated  orally 
20 


306  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

to  me  the  necessity  Col.  Burr  observed  in  his  letter  for 
my  employing  counsel,  as  the  only  proper  intermedium 
of  our  communications.  I  assured  him  I  was  very  de 
sirous  of  such  aid,  but  was  determined  not  to  strengthen 
my  defense,  however  disastrous  the  issue  of  it  might 
prove,  by  drawing  from  the  exigencies  and  sympathies  of 
my  family  a  single  dollar  to  defray  its  charges.  He  still 
urged  me  to  write  a  few  lines  to  Mr.  Botts,  which  I  did. 
stating  that  I  was  solicitous  of  the  aid  of  Mr.  B.'s  talents 
on  terms  I  wished  to  propose  to  him  in  person.  On  Mr. 
B.'s  appearance  soon  after  in  my  room,  I  stated  to  him 
that  Col.  Burr  and  Mr.  Alston  had  expressed  a  desire 
that  I  would  employ  him,  though  they  were  apprised  of 
my  determination  not  to  spend  a  dollar  on  my  defense, 
being  a  resolution  the  exigencies  of  my  family  imposed 
upon  me,  but  Mr.  Alston  having  assured  me  Col.  Burr 
would  arrange  the  matter  with  Mr.  Botts,  I  wished  Mr. 
B.  to  believe  I  should  regard  the  aid  of  his  talents  on  my 
trial  as  most  beneficial  to  my  interests,  and  flattering  to 
my  wishes.  Mr.  B.  handsomely  replied  to  me,  by  assuring 
me  that  he  would  think  it  dishonorable  to  withhold  his 
professional  aid  from  my  inability  to  make  him  a  pe 
cuniary  compensation.  I  returned,  that  from  the  state 
of  my  aftairs  that  inability  would  probably  be  permanent, 
and  again  referred  him  to  the  contingency  of  Col.  Burrs 
or  Mr.  Alston's  remunerating  him  on  my  account,  as  well 
as  on  Col.  Burr's,  as  it  was  in  this  view,  and  at  their 
special  instance  I  had  given  him  the  trouble  of  calling 
upon  me,  though  I  could  sincerely  assure  him  that,  were  I 
in  circumstances  to  remunerate  him  in  a  degree  propor 
tional  to  the  sense  I  entertained  of  his  talents,  etc.,  he 


IN    PRISON.  307 

would  be  one  of  the  first  counsel  I  should  employ.  Mr. 
B.  seemed  perfectly  satisfied,  and  was  pleased  to  say  he 
would,  with  my  leave,  bring  Mr.  Wickham  to  see  me, 
who,  he  was  sure,  would  be  happy  to  assist  me  in  the 
same  way  with  himself.  I  thanked  this  generous  and 
enlightened  stranger  with  all  that  awkward  embarrass 
ment  with  which  the  impetuosity  of  gratitude  suffused 
my  countenance,  making  every  pore  of  my  face  an  outlet 
to  the  flow  of  my  heart,  which  found  too  narrow  an  issue 
at  my  mouth.  It  will  soon  appear  how  necessary  it  was 
to  explain  the  occasion  and  manner  of  my  interview  with 
Mr.  B.  I  took  this  opportunity  to  observe  to  Mr.  Botts, 
that  Mr.  Edmond  Randolph  had  last  evening  called  upon 
me,  and  obligingly  tendered  his  advice,  by  which  I  said  I 
could  not  presume  to  suppose  Mr.  R.  meant  I  should  con 
sider  him  as  my  counsel,  gratuitously  engaged  to  defend 
me  on  my  trial.  Mr.  Botts  was  in  the  act  of  taking  leave 
when  I  made  this  remark  to  him,  which  prevented  my 
distinctly  understanding  his  reply.  I  was  visited  this 
evening  by  my  Lexington  escort,  en  masse,  who  took  the 
opportunity  to  inspect  the  building  and  the  armory,  took 
their  grog,  and  then  took  leave.  Morton,  who  arrested 
me  so  rudely,  while  engaged  in  conversation  with  Mrs. 

Jourdan,  and  Miss  Van  P 1,  at  Lexington,  endeavored, 

by  the  most  assiduous  attentions  on  the  road,  to  repair 
that  outrage,  and  now,  I  thought,  exhibited  in  his  coun 
tenance  every  concern  for  my  situation.  I  find  I  have 
every  liberty  allowed  me  but  that  of  passing  from  under 
this  roof  by  day,  or  out  of  my  room  by  night,  the  door 
being  locked  upon  me  at  8  o'clock,  and  opened  at  sunrise. 
I  have  got  a  supply  of  groceries  and  liquors ;  my  dinner 


308  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

is  furnished  by  the  tavern,  and  I  have  every  prospect  of 
living  well.  This  evening  I  have  inclosed  various  papers 
to  Mr.  Alston,  showing  him  how  my  property  has  been 
sacrificed  on  the  Ohio,  and  praying  his  aid  to  recover  it 
for  my  children,  by  virtue  of  his  responsibility  for  my 
indorsement  of  Col.  Burr's  protested  bills.  Continued 
my  labors  to  comfort  my  poor  wife,  by  another  page  of  a 
close  written  letter,  and  went  to  bed  at  midnight. 

THURSDAY,  AUGUST  6,  1807. 

Woke  this  morning  with  severe  headache  and  general 
lassitude ;  took  a  little  breakfast,  with  no  appetite.  At 
10,  A.  M.,  took  a  small  dose  of  medicine;  repeated  at 
noon ;  had  a  long  conversation  with  Alston,  in  which  he 
expressed  great  concern  for  the  embarrassments  occa 
sioned  me  by  my  indorsements  of  the  bills ;  declaring 
that,  for  my  sake,  he  would  do  any  thing  in  his  power, 
observing,  however,  that  it  was  impracticable  to  raise 
money  in  South  Carolina  by  sale  or  mortgage  of  lands ; 
that  through  his  anxiety  to  have  all  the  protested  bills 
taken  up,  he  now  had  a  friend  employed  in  this  town, 
endeavoring  to  raise  as  much  money  as  would  cover  all 
the  demands ;  that  I  shall  learn  the  result  to-day  or  to 
morrow,  which,  if  successful,  would  remove  all  difficul 
ties.  I  proposed  to  him  an  alienation  to  me  on  some  of 
the  holders  of  the  bills  of  some  negroes  to  be  sold  at 
Katchez,  where,  I  suggested,  he  might  avail  himself  of 
the  advance  they  would  fetch  upon  their  value  in  Caro 
lina,  and  by  that  means  he  would  probably  sink  half  the 
demands  upon  him;  but  after  some  consideration,  he 
stated  the  value  of  slaves  in  Carolina  full  as  high  as  it  is 


HIGGLING.  309 

at  Natchez;  and  at  last  observed,  that  his  estates  needed 
more  slaves  for  their  cultivation  than  he  owned.  He 
offered,  however,  to  assume  all  the  demands  upon  me,  if 
the  creditors  will  accept  one-half,  payable  with  interest, 
next  January  twelvemonth ;  the  other  half,  etc.,  the 
January  following.  But  my  children's  property  is,  and 
will  be,  irrevocably  sacrificed  in  the  mean  time. 

Quicquid  delirant  Reges  plectuntur  Achivi. 

Mr.  A.  next  referred  to  a  memorandum  he  had  in  his 
pocket  of  some  inquiries  to  be  made  of  me  on  the  part  of 
Col.  Burr,  of  which  two  are  remarkable:  first,  had  I 
written,  or  would  I  write,  to  Emmett,  to  come  to  the 
trial  ?  second,  in  what  instance  did  I  intend,  when  I  ob 
served  to  Mr.  Edm.  Randolph,  that  "  Col.  Burr  had 
sometimes  been  too  cautious ;  sometimes,  too  little  so  ?  " 
To  the  first  I  answered,  "  that  I  had  no  doubt  Emmett's 
friendship  for  me  would  bring  him  hither  to  assist  in  my 
defense,  if  he  thought  I  stood  in  need  of  him ;  but  as  I 
was,  on  the  one  hand,  determined  to  expend  no  money  in 
my  own  defense,  I  was,  on  the  other,  equally  averse  to 
bringing  my  friend  on  a  journey  from  his  large  family,  or 
withdrawing  his  industry  from  that  harvest  on  which 
alone  that  family  depended  for  their  support ;  but  could 
I  engage  Mr.  Emmett  at  a  suitable  compensation,  I  would 
write  to  him  forthwith."  Mr.  A.  said,  "  his  expenses 
should  be  paid."  I  replied,  I  could  not  say  what  Mr. 
Emmett  might  understand  by  the  term  expenses ;  but  I 
was  sure  he  would  never  hand  in  an  account  of  his 
tavern-bills  or  traveling  charges.  I  must,  therefore,  at 


310  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

present,  decline  to  disturb  him.     Mr.  A.  was  now  led  by 
some  association  of  ideas  to  remark,  that  Messrs.  Randolph 
and  Botts  had  signified  to  Col.  Burr  or  himself,  that,  when 
they  offered  their  professional  services  to  me,  I  seemed 
rather  to  desire  to  decline  them,  or  consider  them  as  in 
trusive.     This  evening,  Mr.  Botts  brought  Mr.  Wickham 
to  my  room,  when  I  asked  Mr.  Botts  "  if  he  understood 
me  in  the  sense  Mr.  Alston  said  he  did  ? "     On  the  con 
trary,  Mr.  Botts  declared  he  did  not ;  nor  did  he  think 
Mr.  Randolph  did.     Mr.  Wickham  added  a  few  words  in 
compliment  of  my  candor,  and  said  all  three  considered 
themselves  voluntarily  engaged,  without  any  expectation 
of  pecuniary  compensation  from  me.     In  answer  to  the 
second  inquiry,  I  informed  Mr.  Alston  that  in  making 
use  of  the  expressions  reported  to  Col.  Burr  by  Mr.  Ran 
dolph,  I  alluded   to  no  particular  instances,  but  could 
easily  cite  some.     I  then  instanced  the  confidence  reposed 
by  Mr.  Burr  in  General  Wilkinson,  on  which  Col.  Burr 
had  known  my  opinion  long  since,  and  the  committal  of 
himself  to  Col.  Morgan  and  sons,  both  as  examples  of 
defect  of  caution  on  his  part,  and  was  proceeding  with 
equal  ease  to  call  up  errors  of  an  opposite  nature  (God 
knows,  I  know  a  hundred,  both  ways),  when  I  was  stop 
ped  by  Mr.  A.'s  shaking  his  head,  expressing  his  assent 
to  my  remarks  on  Wilkinson,  and  interrupting  me  by 
saying :    "  Mrs.  Blennerhassett  had  good  reason  for  her 
opinion  of  Col.  Morgan."     I  was  the  less  scrupulous  to 
enter  explicitly  upon  these  explanations  for  the  satisfac 
tion  of  Col.  Burr  and  Mr.  A.,  because  I  did  not  feel  that 
Col.  Burr  had  ever  suffered  as  yet  from  any  avoidable 


"  SERPENT'S  TOOTH."  311 

indiscretion  of  mine ;  though  I  was  likely  to  do  so  far 
more  than  I  had  done  already  by  his  errors.  I  suspected 
that  he  had  sent  Mr.  Edm.  Randolph  to  deliver  me  a  lec 
ture  on  caution ;  and,  above  all,  I  should,  least  of  all  ex 
amples  I  could  imagine,  wish  to  emulate  the  caution  Mr. 
A.  has  exhibited  to  the  world.  Him,  therefore,  I  re 
garded  as  the  most  improper  organ  of  Col.  Burr's  wishes ; 
nor  was  I  yet  without  another  motive.  I  had  occasion  to 
inform  Mr.  A.,  when  on  the  subject  of  the  protested  bills, 
that  Mr.  Barton,  who  had  had  an  interview  here  with 
Col.  Burr  on  that  business,  informed  me  at  Lexington 
that  Col.  Burr  told  him  I  was  a  bankrupt,  not  worth  a 
dollar,  or  other  words  fully  of  the  same  import,  which 
Mr.  Barton  protested  he  would,  at  any  time  or  place, 
repeat  and  support.  Bankrupt !  Hah  !  Who  made  me 
so?  0  God  of  retributive  justice!  That  Col.  Burr  also 
declared  to  him  that  he  did  not  believe  Mr.  Alston  had 
executed  any  writing  by  which  he,  Alston,  could  be  bound 
to  me.  "What !  did  his  memory,  perhaps  the  most  ener 
getic  of  all  his  talents,  here  lose  its  polish  by  the  abrasion 
of  his  own  calamities?  Did  he  forget  that  he  himself 
drafted  that  very  paper,  after  having  considered  another 
which  Mr.  A.  had  written  as  insufficient  ?  But  Mr.  Bar 
ton  has  shown  him  a  copy  of  the  original,  and  he  has 
probably  recognized  his  own  composition. 

Received  some  visits  this  evening ;  could  get  no  tea, 
because  Mr.  Douglas,  the  keeper,  and  Harwood,  one  of 
his  assistants,  were  out,  and  another  turnkey,  with  whom 
I  had  not  yet  got  acquainted,  would  lock  me  up  at  night 
fall.  Headache  still  continued.  I  went  to  bed  about  10, 
being  unable  to  write. 


312  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

FRIDAY,  AUGUST  7,  1807. 

Was  visited  by  Mr.  Mercer,  who  staid  nearly  one  hour 
with  me ;  "begged,  on  the  part  of  a  lady  unknown  to  me, 
who  did  not  wish  to  have  her  name  mentioned,  I  would  ac 
cept  of  soups  and  jellies  from  her,  if  they  were  desired  by 
my  appetite  or  state  of  health.  I  told  Mr.  M.  my  grati 
tude  impelled  me  to  take  a  liberty  with  the  lady,  which  I 
hoped  her  goodness  would  pardon.  It  was  to  engrave 
her  name  on  the  tablets  of  my  heart,  and  enable  my 
family  to  consecrate  it  in  their  regards.  He  then  men 
tioned  Mrs.  Carrington.  I  prayed  him  to  offer,  in  his 
own  manner,  a  more  just  return  of  my  sentiments  than  I 
could  express.  Soon  after,  Mr.  Ormsby,  of  Louisville, 
Kentucky,  called  upon  me  to  show  me  a  letter  signed 
H.  L.,  directed  to  him  by  General  Henry  Lee,  stating  that 
he  understood  H.  B.,  meaning  myself,  was  friendless  in 
this  place,  and  tendering  with  warmth  any  services  I 
might  stand  in  need  of.  This  offer  I  declined,  charging 
Mr.  0.  with  a  suitable  verbal  answer  of  grateful  acknowl 
edgments  to  the  General,  of  whom  Mr.  0.  cautioned  me 
to  beware  in  case  of  any  dealing  with  him,  at  the  same 
time  acquainting  me  that  the  character  of  the  General 
was,  as  I  had  long  before  been  apprised,  that  of  a  man 
equally  violent  in  his  friendships  and  his  enmities.'  From 
the  numerous  instances  of  a  violation  of  private  confi 
dence  and  public  faith  that  have  of  late  disgraced  the 
Government  and  the  country,  by  liberties  that  have  been 
taken  or  permitted  at  the  Post-offices,  I  procured,  through 
the  friendship  of  Mr.  Mercer,  the  means  of  sending  my 
letters  and  receiving  those  from  my  wife,  through  K. 


INDIGNANT.  313 

^Taylor,  Esq.,  attorney  at  law,  Alexandria.  Closed  a  long 
letter  to  my  wife,  begun  as  long  ago  as  Tuesday  evening, 
on  my  arrival  in  this  place.  Began  to  brief  my  case  for 
my  counsel,  of  which  I  finished  first  folio.  Have  not 
seen  or  heard  from  Mr.  Alston,  or  Col.  Burr,  to-day. 
Received  the  papers,  and  continued  this  journal  until  past 
midnight. 

SATURDAY,  AUGUST  8,  1807. 

Overslept  myself  this  morning.  Spent  more  time  than 
I  could  well  spare  in  getting  combed  and  shaved.  Read 
the  papers,  the  Federal  one  stating  that  they  learn  my 
arrival  here ;  that  I  speak  confidently  of  my  innocence, 
and  desire  a  speedy  investigation.  Those  on  the  other 
side,  dropping  the  "Mister,"  mention  my  name  in  con 
formity  to  the  style  of  the  President;  and  his  Wood 
county  myrmidons  insinuate  that  I  was  caught,  as  it 
were,  fortunately  in  Kentucky,  from  which  I  was  brought 
hither  under  guard,  meaning,  no  doubt,  like  a  felon  or 
convict,  as  I  should  be.  For  to-day,  my  only  visitor  was 
Mr.  Hendren,  a  lawyer,  who  resides  in  Charles  City 
county,  and  has  generously  offered  to  come  to  town,  and 
live  at  his  own  expense,  whenever  I  will  permit  him  to 
serve  me.  Mr.  H.  repeated  assurances,  which  had  before 
been  made  to  me  by  Mr.  John  Banks  and  Mr.  Ormsby, 
that  the  jury,  not  only  so  far  as  that  part  of  the  panel 
that  was  returned  from  "Wood  county,  but  all  the  rest 
that  completed  it,  from  the  body  of  the  state,  was  grossly 
packed,  with  the  exception  of  not  more  than  two  or  three ; 
that  Col.  Burr  and  myself  could  not  be  too  much  on  our 
guard,  for  he  was  persuaded  that  every  Democrat,  to  a 
man,  now  in  this  town,  was  thirsting  for  our  blood,  and 


314  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

"John  Jourdan,"  who  has  returned  here  to-day  from 
Wood  county,  has  told  me  this  evening  he  has  brought 
with  him  ample  evidence  of  the  most  damning  manoeu 
vres  and  intrigues  that  have  been  practiced  in  that  quar 
ter.  Say,  Thos.  Jefferson  !  thou  philanthropic  messenger 
of  peace  and  liberty  to  this  favored  country !  under  thy 
administration,  are  these  things  unknown  to  thy  tender 
heart,  or  are  they  the  unhallowed  doings  of  thy  worthy 
and  industrious  partisans,  to  overcharge  or  adorn  the  can 
vass  already  burdened  with  the  splendor  of  thy  renown  ? 
The  papers  will  inform  my  friends  of  the  progress  and 
conduct  of  the  trial  of  A.  Burr ;  but  perhaps  they  may 
learn  only  from  these  notes,  that  the  issue  of  it, "whether 
it  prove  serious  or  comical,  will  be  the  product  of  error 
in  the  grand  jury  that  found  the  treason  bills;  for  two  of 
the  most  respectable  and  influential  of  that  body,  since  it 
has  been  discharged,  have  declared  they  mistook  the 
meaning  of  Chief  Justice  Marshall's  opinion  as  to  what 
sort  of  acts  amounted  to  treason  in  this  country,  in  the 
case  of  Swartwout  and  Ogden  ;  that  it  was  under  the  in 
fluence  of  this  mistake  they  concurred  in  finding  such  a 
bill  against  A.  Burr,  which  otherwise  would  have  prob 
ably  been  ignored.  I  am  well  to-day,  and  had  a  keen 
appetite  at  dinner ;  soon  after  which,  Jourdan  stepped  in, 
but  with  no  particular  news  regarding  my  affairs  on  the 
Ohio.  Saw  Robinson  and  Mr.  Simpson  summoned  with 
him,  on  the  part  of  Col.  Burr. 

SUNDAY,  AUGUST  9,  1807. 

Visited  by  Prichard,  at  9  o'clock,  A.  M.     He  stayed 
fully  two  hours,  during  which  he  confirmed  many  former 


VEXATIOUS    DELAY.  315 

accounts  given  me  of  the  meanness  and  cowardice  of  Jef 
ferson's  Attorney  General,  George  Hay,  whose  insolence 
to  poor  Prichard,  some  years  ago,  occasioned  P.  to  throw 
a  plate  at  his  head,  which  terminated  the  affair,  and  kept 
Mr.  Attorney,  ever  after,  within  the  bounds  of  civility. 
P.  informed  me,  negroes  now  sell  in  this  place  at  the 
same  prices  they  could  be  bought  at  when  I  was  here 
before,  seven  years  ago.  He  has  offered  to  get  me  a 
woman,  aged  about  thirty  years,  with  two  sons,  twelve 
and  eight  years  old,  belonging  to  his  sister-in-law,  for 
$500.  Eh  !  Mr.  Alston,  are  negroes  so  much  lower  here 
than  in  South  Carolina  ?  He  has  also  promised  to  get 
me  Molly's  three  children,  two  girls  and  a  boy,  if  the 
owners  will  part  with  them,  upon  like  reasonable  terms — 
as  he  thinks  they  will.  After  P.  left  me,  I  continued  the 
briefing  of  my  case  for  my  counsel,  and  completed  the 
third  folio.  If  the  prosecutors  attempt  again,  to-morrow, 
to  put  off  the  trial  to  a  fourth  adjournment,  I  shall  not 
think  it  unwarrantable  to  begin  to  suspect  they  fear  to 
advance  upon  the  ground  they  Ve  taken,  lest  the  mines 
of  Mexico,  or  of  Tartarus,  be  sprung  upon  them.  This 
suspicion  seems  to  be  somewhat  countenanced  by  the  cir 
cumstance  of  their  being  correctly  informed  of  the  places 
where  General  Dayton  has  been  for  several  days,  and 
will  continue,  near  this  town,  without  the  Marshal,  who 
is  certainly  a  vicious  partisan,  having  yet  made  any 
attempt  to  disturb  him ;  while  the  once  redoubted  Eaton  * 
has  dwindled  down  in  the  eyes  of  this  sarcastic  town, 
into  a  ridiculous  mountebank,  strutting  about  the  streets, 

*  American  Consul  at  Tunis. 


316  THE    BLENNERIIASSETT    PAPERS. 

under  a  tremendous  hat,  with  a  Turkish  sash  over  colored 
clothes,  when  he  is  not  tippling  in  the  taverns,  where  he 
offers  up  with  his  libations  the  bitter  effusions  of  his 
sorrows,  in  audibly  bewailing  to  the  sympathies  of  the 
bystanders — "  that  he  is  despised  by  the  Federalists,  mis 
trusted  by  the  Democrats,  and  hen  I  too  long  for  his  fame, 
"too  long  for  his  purse,"  "Quis  talia  fando  temper et  a 
lachrymis." 

General  Dayton,  however,  I  hear,  will  offer  himself  up 
to-morrow,  or  the  next  day,  and  will  therefore  live  rent- 
free  like  myself,  for  some  time ;  but  how  far  reasons  of 
State  may  prevent  my  partaking  of  his  society  here,  I  can 
not  yet  tell.  It  is  now  11  o'clock,  P.  M.  I  will  walk 
about  for  some  time  with  a  fan,  and  then  endeavor  to 
sleep,  to  preserve  my  strength  and  appetite. 

MONDAY,  AUGUST  10,  1807. 

Rose  at  6,  A.  M.,  dressed,  and  walked  until  8.     Had  a 

call  from  Col.  Q r,   a   violent  Democrat,   who  calls 

every  one  "  Tory "  that  is  not  of  his  own  party,  and 
talked  a  great  deal  about  ruining  England  in  the  expected 
war  with  the  United  States.  D.  Woodbridge  stepped  in 
while  I  was  at  breakfast,  and  returned  me  in  frames  the 

two  drawings  presented  me  by  Miss  Yanpool  at  C , 

Col.  Meade's  place,  near  Lexington,  the  day  I  left  that 
town  under  guard  for  this  city.  After  Q — '• — r  took  leave, 
D.  "Woodbridge  informed  me,  he  was  told  some  time  since 
by  Col.  Morgan,  a  subpoena  had  actually  been  dispatched, 
a  fortnight  past,  to  Natchez  for  my  wife,  and  he  heard 
somebody  say  last  evening,  General  Wilkinson  had  assert 
ed  the  same  thing.  I  immediately  addressed  a  letter  to 


IN   COURT.  317 

Messrs.  Randolph,  "Wickham  and  Botts,  stating  this  in 
telligence,  and  appealing  to  their  feelings  to  vindicate, 
from  this  outrage  of  party,  the  rights  of  a  wife  and  the 
fundamental  principles  of  law  and  justice.  Mr.  Mercer 
called  in  as  I  was  folding  up  the  letter,  and  kindly  took 
upon  himself  the  charge  of  delivering  it  for  me,  as  well 
as  of  inquiring  at  the  Post-office  for  any  letters  he  could 
bring  me  from  thence. 

I  had  but  half  finished  the  last  sentence  but  one,  when 
I  heard  the  voices  of  strangers  coming  up  stairs,  and  Mr. 
Douglas  entered  my  room  with  one  of  the  Deputy  Mar 
shals,  to  invite  me  to  take  an  airing,  that  is,  to  attend  the 
court.  I  was  ready  in  three  minutes,  and  on  reaching 
the  outside  gate,  perceived  a  carriage  and  two  horse- 
guards  in  waiting.  I  stepped  in,  found  the  air  and  exer 
cise  very  agreeable ;  was  told  by  the  way,  I  should  have 
the  trouble  to  pass  through  a  large  crowd,  to  which  I 
answered,  "  I  was  indifferent,"  and  soon  arrived  at  the 
capitol,  where,  without  doors,  I  did  not  perceive  near  as 
many  people  as  I  expected;  within,  the  court  is  .held  in 
the  Hall  of  the  Assembly,  which  is  spacious  and  hand 
some,  and  was  pretty  full  at  my  entrance.  I  was  first  led 
by  the  Deputy  Marshal  below  the  bar ;  soon  after,  some 
body  else  invited  me  to  walk  within  it,  pointing  to  a 
bench ;  and  again,  I  was  directed  to  walk  to  the  opposite 
side,  directly  in  front  of  the  Chief  Justice's  seat,  where  I 
sat  down  near  a  table  at  which  Col.  Burr's  counsel  sit. 
The  court  was  not  yet  opened ;  I  was  soon  accosted,  suc 
cessively,  by  Messrs.  Randolph,  Wickham  and  Botts,  who 
all  inquired,  what  occasioned  my  appearance  in  court ;  I 
said  I  was  ignorant,  but  supposed  for  arraignment.  The 


318  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

counsel  did  not  know  I  had  been  furnished  three  days 
ago  with  a  copy  of  the  indictment ;  but  I  told  them  I  had 
not  yet  received  a  list  of  the  witnesses  that  might  be 
called  to  testify  against  me,  which  I  submitted  to  them, 
whether  I  was  entitled  to  before  arraignment.  I  then 
entered  into  a  conversation,  upon  a  hint  from  him  in 
French,  with  Mr.  Wickham,  who,  upon  a  first  address  to 
a  stranger,  possessed  a  talent  of  infusing  into  his  manner 
an  air  of  ease  and  friendly  interest,  that  is  truly  adapted 
at  once  to  engage  the  hearts  of  his  acquaintance.  Some 
considerable  time  after  the  court  opened,  it  was  engaged 
in  a  desultory  way,  with  applications  from  jurors  to  be 
excused  from  serving  on  the  trial  of  A.  Burr,  on  various 
grounds,  and  excused.  During  such  occupation,  Col. 
Burr  entered ;  came  over  to  that  side  where  I  was,  shook 
me  by  the  hand,  and  smilingly  said,  he  was  extremely 
glad  to  see  me  indeed.  Observe,  I  had  not  before  heard 
from  him  since  Thursday.  The  prosecuting  counsel 
seemed  occupied  with  those  of  the  defendant,  A.  Burr,  in 
completing  those  lists  of  the  witnesses,  with  the  places 
of  their  abode,  and  agreeing  upon  some  form  of  an  ac 
knowledgment  to  be  made  by  A.  B.,  that  he  had  been 
duly  served  with  the  same,  for  which  the  court  was  pa 
tiently  waiting,  when  Mr.  Hay  coolly  observed,  "  that  it 
might,  in  the  mean  time,  be  as  well  to  arraign  Mr.  Blen- 
nerhassett;"  to  which  Mr.  Botts  objected,  for  want  of 
preparation  by  me  and  my  counsel.  Mr.  Hay  replied, 
that  if  it  was  not  done  to-day,  a  great  deal  of  time  would 
be  lost.  Mr.  B.  said  he  could  not  help  it,  it  would  be  im 
proper  ;  on  which  Mr.  Hay  returned,  "  that  I  might  then 
be  remanded,"  which  I  soon  after  solicited,  from  the 


MR.    THOMPSON.  319 

warmth  of  the  place  and  a  wish  to  get  back  to  my  writ 
ing.  I  therefore  left  the  court,  having  bowed  to  the 
bench,  under  charge  of  another  Deputy  Marshal,  and 
another  gentleman,  with  whom  I  returned  hither  on  foot, 
much  heated  by  the  walk,  about  fifteen  minutes  past  2. 
Saw  and  saluted  many  faces  on  leaving  the  court ;  among 
them,  "Win.  Lewis,  who  appeared  glad  to  see  me,  and  in 
quired  particularly  for  my  family  ;  also,  David  Wallace, 
who  arrived  yesterday.  Dined  with  less  appetite  than  I 
had  yesterday  ;  oppressed  in  the  evening  by  the  heat  of 
the  weather ;  tried  to  get  cool,  by  walking  and  fanning, 
but  was  so  weak  I  was  obliged  to  lie  down  on  the  floor, 
where  I  slept,  I  know  not  how  long,  until  I  was  awak 
ened  by  the  name  of  Mrs.  Alston,  at  which  I  started  up, 
as  if  electrified,  and  perceived  a  servant  of  hers  with  a 
large  present  of  oranges,  lemons  and  limes.  Wrote  her, 
in  form  of  a  card,  three  lines  of  devotion  and  gratitude, 
seizing  the  opportunity  of  inquiring  after  Alston,  who  is 
confined  to  the  house,  to  pray  her  to  let  me  hear  again 
from  her  to-morrow.  Drank  tea  as  usual,  at  nightfall, 
and  was  soon  after  locked  up.  Through  excessive  heat, 
I  have  written  the  sixth  folio  of  my  brief,  and  will  now 
try  to  sleep,  it  being  2  o'clock,  the  llth. 

TUESDAY,  AUGUST  11,  1807. 

Rose  late.  Saw  Jourdan  while  at  breakfast.  He  re 
mained  all  day  to  copy  my  brief.  Visited  in  the  evening 
by  Dav.  and  Robert  Wallace,  with  P.  Howe.  Had  a 
friendly,  sympathizing  letter  from  Mr.  Wm.  Thompson,  a 
lawyer  of  handsome  talents,  though  a  violent  Democrat, 
the  brother  of  the  author  of  the  Letters  of  Curtius.  1 


320  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

got  acquainted  with  him  at  Abington,  on  the  road  hither. 
I  do  not  hear  any  more  of  Mrs.  Alston's  intention  to 
attend  the  trial  of  her  father.  I  hope  neither  will  add 
this  to  the  many  indiscretions  already  committed  by  him. 
Jupiter  might  invisibly  elude  the  guards  of  Danae,  but 
the  bonne  amie  of  the  Col.  does  not  I  suppose  occasionally 
pass  his  keepers  with  the  same  address.  Proh  pudor! 
Worked  to-day  chiefly  on  my  brief,  of  which  I  have  to 
night,  past  12,  entered  on  the  eleventh  folio. 

WEDNESDAY,  AUGUST  12,  1807. 

Rose  at  7,  A.  M.  Was  visited  by  Dav.  Meade,  who 
tells  me  himself  and  the  guard  that  escorted  me  hither 
from  Kentucky  will  be  allowed  only  one-half  of  what 
they  expected,  namely,  instead  of  10,  only  5  cents  per 
mile  for  coming  and  returning ;  and  he  expects  his  bill 
against  the  United  States  will  not  be  paid  under  two 
years  after  his  having  advanced  his  money  for  them  :  also, 
he  understands  the  Marshal,  Major  Scott,  will  not  pay 
Burr's  witnesses,  while  he  answers  all  the  calls  of  those 
on  the  part  of  the  prosecution.  Does  a  culprit,  then, 
.  with  an  empty  purse,  look  in  vain  to  the  provisions  of  the 
Constitution,  which  declare  "  that  the  accused  shall  have 
compulsory  process  to  enable  him  to  enforce  the  attend 
ance  of  his  witnesses ;"  and  may  he  be  hanged  for  want 
of  money,  as  well  as  of  innocence?  I  fear  the  murmurs 
of  agents  and  returning  officers  will  be  so  widely  diffused, 
that  no  one  will  undertake  to  serve  subpoenas  for  me  on 
witnesses,  however  material  to  my  defense,  while  I  will 
not  lay  out  a  dollar  for  promoting  its  success.  A  consid 
erable  fall  of  rain  last  night  and  this  morning  has  very 


FALSE    WITNESS.  321 

agreeably  lowered  the  temperature  of  the  air,  the  high 
degree  of  which  has,  for  a  week  past,  been  so  very  op 
pressive.  I  have  had,  by  Mr.  Meade,  another  advance 
from  female  humanity.  Mrs.  Chevalier,  wife  of  the 
French  Consul,  has  solicited  by  him  my  acceptance  of 
any  refreshments  or  delicacies  she  could  send  me.  Read 
the  three  papers  published  here,  of  which  the  "  Inquirer," 
incorrectly,  and  rather  impertinently,  notices  the  occasion 
of  my  counsel's  declining  to  permit  me  to  be  arraigned 
last  Monday.  Was  interrupted  by  idle  visitors,  desirous 
of  gratifying  their  curiosity  to  survey  my  countenance 
and  quarters.  One  of  them,  a  rejected  juryman  from 
Wood  county,  of  the  name  of  Morrison,  with  whom  I 
am  not  acquainted ;  the  others,  strangers  to  me,  and  came, 
like  many  others  before  them,  without  recommendation, 
to  solicit  employment  of  serving  subpoenas  on  witnesses. 
Had  a  friendly  visit  in  the  evening  from  Mr.  Fowler,  in 
company  with  Jourdan,  and  procured,  through  a  friend, 
copies  of  the  depositions,  before  the  grand  jury,  of  Peter 
Taylor,  Jacob  Albright,  and  David  Wallace.  The  first 
having  sworn  that  I  told  him  we  would  stab  all  those  that 
went  with  us  to  get  land,  and  would  not  go  on  our  expe 
dition  ;  the  second,  that  General  Tupper  arrested  me  on 
the  "  Island "  the  night  I  left  it,  from  which  I  effected 
my  escape  by  my  friends  directly  presenting  six  guns  at 
the  General ;  and  the  third,  that  I  offered  him  the  post 
of  Surgeon  General,  if  he  would  embark  in  the  expedi 
tion.  "  0  God  of  Truth  and  Justice  !"  avenge  such  mur 
derous  villainies  in  mercy ;  and  then,  my  beloved  wife, 
behold  and  adore  a  guardian  Providence,  that  ordains  the 

conviction  of  perjury  to  issue  in  the  same  breath  from 
21 


322  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

the  lips  of  falsehood  accusing  the  innocent.  Mr.  Fowler 
assures  me  Mr.  Hay  begins  to  feel  sick  of  the  business, 
and  doubts  not  a  nolle  prosequi  will  be  entered  on  the  rec 
ords,  on  Burr's  acquittal  of  the  treason. 

THURSDAY,  AUGUST  13,  1807. 

Rose  at  half-past  6 ;  walked,  dressed  and  breakfasted. 
Had  a  friendly  letter  from  Prichard,  requesting  me  to 
command  his  heart  and  hand  ;  also  a  long  letter,  sent  by 
Phelps,  but  lastly  from  Col.  Burr,  from  Tom  Neale,  con 
fessing,  at  last,  that  'twas  he  bought  Eansom,  whom  he 
will  return  to  my  wife  or  to  myself  at  the  same  price  he 
gave  for  him.  Heard  by  letter  from  Col.  Burr,  in  answer 
to  one  I  wrote  to  him,  covering  another  for  him  to  for 
ward,  if  he  wished  it,  to  Mr.  Hendren,  requesting  him  to 
come  to  town,  to  assist  Burr  with  his  knowledge  of  the 
jurymen.  Heard  that  Alston  is  to-day  confined  to  his 
bed.  Visited  by  David  Meade,  with  two  gentlemen  of 
his  acquaintance,  summoned  as  talesmen,  or  on  another 
venire  pro  defectum  juratorum,  on  the  last.  To  one  of 
these,  finding  he  was  acquainted  with  Will.  Thompson,  I 
was  fortunate,  in  procuring  an  opportunity,  connected 
with  the  subject  of  conversation,  to  show  Mr.  T.'s  hand 
some  letter  to  me.  As  this  party  were  taking  leave, 
Messrs.  Wickham  and  Botts  appeared  at  the  door ;  they 
seemed  pleased  to  find  the  ennui  of  my  confinement 
relieved  by  company ;  sat  half  an  hour,  during  which 
they  told  me,  they  understood  the  Hendersons  would 
swear  much  against  me,  but  seemed  to  think  with  me, 
their  story  could  bear  but  little  on  either  count  of  the 
indictment.  They  concurred  in  opinion,  that  I  should 


WILKINSON.  323 

not  hurry  my  trial,  but  should  rather  wait  until  party 
prejudice  was  more  allayed,  and  the  great  crowd  of  wit 
nesses  now  in  town  somewhat  dispersed.  They  confirmed 
to  me  the  fact  of  a  subpoena  having  been  actually  issued 
for  my  wife,  her  name  being  one  on  the  list  of  witnesses 
furnished  to  A.  Burr.  My  complaints  on  this  head  they 
seemed  to  regard  as  irremediable,  because  A.  Burr  is  not 
her  husband.  In  how  many  instances  is  the  letter  of  the 
law  at  war  with  common  sense,  and  its  own  principles  ? 
Are  not  all  accomplices  principals  in  treason?  are  not 
Burr  and  myself  charged  by  exactly  similar  indictments 
with  the  same  overt  acts,  at  the  same  place ;  and,  conse 
quently,  can  the  same  jury,  if  I  should  choose  it,  or  any 
other  in  my  case,  shut  their  eyes  to  testimony  upon  which 
Burr  may  be  by  possibility  convicted?  I  hinted  these 
ideas  to  these  generous  and  accomplished  advocates ; 
their  silence  seemed  only  to  reply,  sed  ita  lex  scripta  est. 
They,  however,  were  of  opinion  that  the  helpless  state 
of  the  children  would  justify  her  non-compliance  with 
the  summons.  The  moment  they  left  me,  therefore,  I 
dispatched  a  few  lines  to  her  to  that  effect,  which  I  hope 
were  time  enough  at  the  office  to  go  by  this  evening's 
mail.  The  slow  march  of  the  trial,  I  am  told,  has  put 
Wilkinson  out  of  all  patience.  He  has  been  heard  to 
swear  in  his  wrath,  that  if  Burr  is  not  h  anged,  he  cares 
not  how  soon  himself  were  stretched  on  the  same  gal 
lows.  Mr.  Botts  said  he  saw  the  "  Querist"  at  old  Hen 
derson's,  and  will  advise  my  presence  in  court  when  the 
sons  are  produced  to  give  their  testimony.  Progressed 
with  my  brief,  of  which  I  entered  on  the  thirteenth  folio, 
bringing  the  narrative  of  the  case,  so  far  as  I  hope  I  can 


824  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

prove  it,  down  to  the  period  of  my  first  interview  with 
Graham,  on  Burr's  affairs  at  Marietta,  in  last  November. 
I  learn  or  conclude  by  letters  I  have  received,  that  old 
Richard  Neale  and  James  Wilson  must  be  in  town ;  I 
have  as  yet  seen  neither.  Jourdan  tells  me,  Burr  lives  in 
great  style,  and  sees  much  company  within  his  gratings, 
where  it  is  as  difficult  to  get  an  audience  as  if  he  really 
were  an  Emperor.  If  these  things  be  so  well  founded,  as 
is  the  hint  in  last  Tuesday's  notes,  I  fear  Wm.  Thompson 
is  sketching  his  portraits  of  the  characters  connected 
with  the  trial  too  far  West,  not  to  lose  some  lines  of  cer 
tain  features  that  would  not  escape  his  pencil  if  he 
were  here. 

FRIDAY,  AUGUST  14,  1807. 

"Went  down  to  the  kitchen  after  breakfast,  in  this  wing 
of  the  building,  my  servant  having  gone  to  town  to  beg 
of  one  of  the  cooks  there  to  request  a  keeper  to  bring 
the  barber  to  shave  me.  Cooks  were  preparing  the  din 
ner  for  the  convicts  now  confined  here,  to  the  number  of 
about  130.  This  meal,  I  learned,  generally  consisted  of 
three-quarters  of  a  pound  of  meat,  one  and  a  half  pints  of 
soup,  and  one  pint  of  corn-meal  dough,  which  suffers  by 
baking  a  diminution  of  one  quarter  of  the  weight.  The 
breakfast,  the  only  other  meal  allowed  in  the  twenty-four 
hours,  consists  of  the  like  quantity  of  the  same  sort  of 
bread,  and  half  a  gill  of  molasses,  diluted  with  a  pint  of 
water.  "Not  having  before  spoken  of  the  police  of  this 
establishment,  I  will  now  mention  what  has  fallen  under 
my  own  observation  regarding  it.  The  convicts  are  con 
fined,  for  various  terms  of  years,  according  to  their  several 


PRISON    DISCIPLINE.  325 

offenses,  for  which  the  heaviest  sentence  is,  I  believe,  for 
the  space  of  eighteen  years.  They  are  kept  to  labor  in 
the  respective  trades  or  occupations  they  had  been  bred 
to,  with  no  allowance  of  rest  on  any  day,  but  Sunday, 
except  during  meals,  being  set  to  work  at  daylight,  and 
leaving  off  at  sunset.  The  present  keeper  is  a  smart,  in 
telligent  man,  who  tells  me,  before  he  came  here,  the 
value  of  the  annual  labor  of  the  prisoners  did  not  exceed 
$5,000 ;  the  expenses  being  nearly,  as  at  present,  $11,500. 
But  he  speaks  confidently  of  raising  the  former,  in  his  first 
year,  to  $14,500.  I  believe  great  diligence  will  be  neces 
sary  in  him  to  effect  it.  The  men  have  not  now,  as  under 
his  predecessor,  the  benefit  of  any  work  they  might  try  to 
do,  over  and  above  the  limits  of  their  task.  Mr.  Douglas 
assigns  two  curious  reasons  for  discontinuing  that  little 
indulgence  to  these  wretches ;  1st,  that  it  was  found  to 
occasion  expense  to  the  State,  by  encouraging  some  folks 
to  commit  and  confess  small  offenses,  in  order  to  get 
boarded  here  gratis  for  six  or  twelve  months,  when  they 
would  be  turned  out,  with  a  sum  of  money  in  their 
pockets,  for  their  extra  labor  during  their  confinement, 
which  they  would  soon  renew  in  v  the  same  way;  2d, 
that  those  confined  for  a  long  term  of  years  would  prob 
ably  soon  debilitate  themselves  through  this  stimulus,  to 
an  increase  of  industry,  by  which  their  maintenance 
would  become  a  dead  charge,  without  any  return  to  the 
State.  The  stimuli  of  Mr.  D.,  therefore,  or  his  superiors 
through  him,  are  dark  confinement  in  the  cells,  and  the 
cow-skin,  with  short  allowance  of  bread  and  water,  which 
is  not  very  well  calculated,  to  prevent  the  last  evil — the 
debility— now  sought  to  be  avoided.  My  unfortunate 


326  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

barber,  I  hope,  fell  on  a  lucky  day  for  his  punishment, 
well  or  ill  deserved,  for  I  was  soon  told  in  the  kitchen 
that  he  was  in  the  cells ;  but  expressing  my  concern  for 
the  poor  fellow's  misfortune,  one  of  the  cooks  stepped 
out,  I  suppose,  to  signify  to  the  proper  authority  the  ma 
turity  of  my  beard,  no  doubt,  rather  than  the  expression 
of  my  sorrow;  and,  in  ten  minutes,  Yaun  was  in  my 
room  with  his  whole  apparatus.  This  Yaun,  my  friends, 
is  only  here  for  eighteen  years,  merely  for  cutting  his 
wife's  throat,  with  precisely  the  same  sort  of  instrument 
with  which  he  operates  most  delicately  on  mine,  every 
other  day.  Nor  do  the  largest  cities  I  have  ever  lived  in 
boast  an  artist,  in  his  line,  that  should  supplant  him  in 
my  favor.  The  physiognomy  of  his  countenance,  and  the 
steadiness  of  his  hand,  with  the  keenness  of  his  instru 
ment,  admirably  correspond  with  the  firmness  and  sensi 
bility  of  his  heart — would  to  Heaven  I  could  add,  its 
purity.  But  hideous  jealousy  entered  there,  and  goaded 
this  wretch  to  murder  and  madness.  A  gentleman  of 
Petersburg,  who  called  in  last  evening  with  David  Meade, 
assured  me  that  Yaun,  on  the  day  he  killed  his  wife,  sat 
at  his  door  for  an  hour  or  two,  showing  the  bloody  razor 
to  the  passengers  in  the  street,  and  telling  them  how  he 
had  used  it.  The  gentleman  declared,  had  he  been  of 
the  jury,  he  should  not  have  concurred  in  the  conviction. 
This  convict  is  black,  was  born  free,  lived  in  good  circum 
stances,  has  been  to  Europe,  and  always  supported  an 
excellent  character.  Poor  Yaun  !  the  gloom  of  thy  soul 
is  now  as  dark  as  thy  countenance ;  but  yet  may  one  ray 
of  Divine  mercy  enlighten  it !  Thou  shalt  still  shave  me. 
Col.  Burr  wrote  me  to-day,  that  he  was  so  surrounded 


NEW    VISITORS.  327 

by  company  he  could  not  make  up  his  mind  upon  a  com 
munication  I  made  him  by  letter,  of  which  he  said  he 
perceived  all  the  importance  and  advantages.  I  wrote  to 
him  to  summon  Henderson,  the  father,  for  reasons  that 
will  appear  by  my  brief,  urged  the  advantage  that  would 
result  from  my  cross-examining  all  the  witnesses  (that  I 
knew,  particularly  the  Hendersons,  which  may  be  pro 
duced  against  him,  if  in  my  present  character  I  could  be 
allowed  to  act,  during  his  trial,  as  an  agent  or  advocate 
for  him ;  or  if  that  should  not  be  permitted,  that  I  should 
at  least  be  in  court  when  such  witnesses  appear.  I  also 
submitted  to  him  the  expediency  of  one  of  our  counsel 
seeing  my  brief,  so  far  as  I  had  written  it.  He  added  in 
his  letter  that  one  of  them  should  call  upon  me  for  that 
purpose,  and  to  confer  on  other  matters  this  evening. 
But  I  have  received  no  such  visit,  and  must  confess  I  am 
rather  led  to  ascribe  my  disappointment  less  to  the  negli 
gence  of  the  advocate  than  to  that  of  the  client.  The 
vivacity  of  his  wit,  and  the  exercise  of  his  proper  talents, 
now  constantly  solicited  here  in  private  and  public  exhi 
bition,  while  they  display  his  powers  and  address  at  the 
levee  and  the  bar,  must  engross  more  of  his  time  than  he 
can  spare  for  the  demands  of  other  gratifications.  Man 
is  prone  to  what  St.  Pierre  aptly  names  the  harmony  of 
contrast,  in  which  the  mind  and  the  eye  are  as  much  de 
lighted  in  physics  and  in  ethics  as  the  ear  is  in  music. 
My  reflections  will  perhaps  borrow  from  this  principle 
hereafter,  in  attempting  to  do  more  justice,  in  expression 
of  character,  to  a  third  portrait  of  an  original,  so  differ 
ently  appearing  to  my  regards  at  Richmond  and  on  the 
Mississippi.  Was  visited  this  morning  by  Belknap  and 


328  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

P 1;  the  latter,  one  of  the  most  active  in  seizing  the 

boats  and  provisions  at  Marietta,  last  December ;  also  by 
D.  Woodbridge,  who  read  my  brief,  but  to  whom,  as  well 
as  to  every  one  else  that  calls  upon  me,  I  never  speak  on 
the  subject  of  evidence  yet,  or  hereafter  to  be,  given  by 
them  on  these  trials.  Had  a  very  friendly  letter  from 
Col.  Gushing,  lamenting  my  situation,  and  assuring  me 
of  every  exertion  of  his  friendship  to  serve  me;  another, 
from  Thos.  JSTeale,  exactly  to  the  same  effect  as  his  last ; 
also  a  very  friendly  one  from  Mr.  John  Banks,  accompa 
nying  a  present  from  Mrs.  Banks,  of  two  bottles  of  cor 
dials,  and  a  large  cake.  Visited  by  Alston,  this  being 
the  first  day  he  could  venture  out  in  a  carriage.  He  says 
appearances  every  day  strengthen  the  expectation  of 
Burr's  acquittal  on  both  bills,  Hay  having  been  heard 
to  say,  out  of  court,  he  does  not  think  he  will  be  able  to 
substantiate  the  charges.  It  is  believed,  however,  a  mo 
tion  will  be  made  to  the  Court,  on  the  acquittals,  but  be 
rejected,  to  transmit  us  to  other  districts  for  trial,  accord 
ing  as  evidence  may  appear  or  be  procured,  as  may  be 
contended  to  implicate  our  conduct  as  treasonable  else 
where  out  of  this  district.  Douglas  has  also  heard  Duane 
confess,  that  he,  too,  is  fearful  Burr  must  be  acquitted. 
Had  this  evening  an  obliging  visit,  and  one  hour's  inter 
esting  French  conversation  with  Col.  de  Pestre,  who  in 
formed  me  his  brother-in-law,  a  promising  young  ma.n 
of  various  merit,  had  been  turned  out  of  his  place  as 
Clerk  in  the  "War  Office,  because  he  could  not  accuse  the 
Col.  of  Burr-ism ;  and  afterward,  some  honorable  friends 
of  the  Government  had  the  delicacy  to  insinuate  how 
handsomely  the  Col.  might  be  provided  for  in  the  army, 


329 

if  his  principles  or  engagements  were  not  adverse  to  the 
administration.  The  Col.  replied,  that  he  understood  the 
hint,  hut  it  neither  suited  his  honor  nor  character  to  serve 
in  such  employment.  Wrote  to  Col.  Gushing,  requesting 
him  to  forward  to  me  an  inventory  of  all  my  effects  that 
have  heen  sold  under  attachments,  and  all  my  negroes, 
to  my  wife,  or  Col.  Scott,  or  Mr.  Harding,  at  Natchez, 
for  her.  Have  not  worked  to-day  on  my  "brief,  from  a 
prospect  held  out  by  many  of  my  discharge  on  Burr's 
acquittal.  Chatted  as  usual  in  the  evening  with  Douglas, 
and  having  left  a  letter  I  began  to  Miller,  for  to-morrow, 
continued  this  diary  until  midnight. 

SATURDAY,  AUGUST  15,  1807. 

Half-past  8,  P.  M.  Have  not,  during  the  forenoon,  seen 
a  face,  but  that  of  my  servant  Billy,  who,  by  the  comfort 
I  derive  from  his  remarkable  neatness  and  assiduity,  my 
wife  will  not  think  undeserving  of  mention  in  this  diary, 
which  I  have  resolved  to  keep  only  for  her  gratification. 
Every  one  is  probably  at  court,  where  this  is  a  day  of 
some  interest,  as  the  jury  will  probably  be  impanneled. 
Have  done  nothing  but  walk,  and  read  the  papers,  my 
face  continuing  very  sore  with  a  disagreeable  eruption. 
"Will  now  finish  my  letter,  begun  yesterday,  to  Miller,  and 
conclude  the  notes  of  to-day  after  tea,  by  which  time  I 
may  probably  collect  something  worthy  of  notice  from 
Jourdan,  whom  I  hourly  expect.  While  at  dinner,  Mr. 
Ellis  called  in  to  know  if  I  could  yet  inform  him  when  I 
might  want  him  to  serve  subpoenas  for  me,  otherwise  he 
should  soon  leave  town,  seeing  no  prospects  of  getting 
any  money  from  Col.  Burr,  against  whom  he  has  a  de 


330  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

mand  of  about  eleven  dollars,  for  a  boat  and  cargo  sold 
him  in  October  last  on  tbe  Ohio.  B.,  it  seems,  has  dis 
posed  of  all  such  claims,  by  a  declaration,  it  is  said,  he 
made  in  court,  before  my  arrival,  of  his  being  a  bankrupt. 
But  in  emptying  his  strong-box,  which  seems  to  have 
lost  all  his  treasures  as  quickly  as  those  that  took  wing 
from  Pandora's,  he  has,  I  am  told,  like  that  goddess, 
closed  the  lid  time  enough  to  prevent  the  escape  of  that 
hope  on  which  some  favored  dependents  may  yet  mort 
gage  to  him  their  future  services  and  the  property  of 
their  children.  It  would  even  baffle  the  acuteness,  and 
exhaust  the  deliberation,  of  our  worthy  Harding,  to 
estimate  the  amount  of  this  treasure,  or  conceive  the 
structure  of  the  debenture  by  which  it  is  secured;  I  must 
therefore  explain  both.  Know,  then,  that  it  has  been 
whispered  to  me,  with  the  important  gravity  so  confiden 
tial  a  communication  required,  that  the  sum  is  $50,000 ; 
the  security,  a  claim  upon  Government  for  the  damages 
sustained  by  the  culprit  now  trying  for  his  life,  but  who 
will  probably  obtain  his  acquittal  of  the  treason  with 
more  ease  than  he  can  procure  one  on  another  charge 
recorded  against  him  in  Kentucky,  of  having  robbed  the 
Western  country  of  $1 00,000,  to  say  nothing  of  the  ab 
surdity  of  suing  the  United  States  in  the  face  of  a 
positive  statute.  As  I  was  closing  my  letter  to  Miller, 
Jourdan  stepped  in  with  Rob.  Nicholas,  a  Democrat, 
furious,  keen  and  selfish,  in  chase  of  Alston,  to  secure  and 
hasten  the  payment  of  bills,  protested  and  indorsed  by 
me  to  Sanders,  to  amount,  with  charges,  etc.,  of  fl 0,000, 
for  which  I  will  never  give  more  than  my  bones,  and  the 
holder  believing  me  determined,  now  depends  on  Alston's 


QUEER   CHARACTER.  331 

responsibility  to  me,  which  I  have  transferred  to  him. 
To-morrow,  I  shall  be  visited  by  Mr.  Edmond  Randolph, 
on  the  part  of  Sanders,  and  on  my  own  business ;  I  an 
ticipate  the  conference  with  much  interest.  Jourdan  is 
quite  desolate  and  dispirited  by  the  treatment  of  B.,  of 
which  he  will  give  me  particulars  to-morrow. 

SUNDAY,  AUGUST  16,  1807. 

Rose  late  this  morning,  very  ill,  but  satisfied  I  was 
affected  by  no  influence  of  confinement,  or  the  place;  a 
severe  headache,  under  which  I  've  all  day  labored,  pro 
ceeding  only  from  a  derangement  of  the  stomach,  to 
which  I  am  frequently  subject.  While  at  breakfast,  I 
was  visited  by  Mr.  P.,  a  merchant  of  consideration  here, 
who  had  not  before  called  upon  me,  for  which  he  apolo 
gized,  and  in  whom  I  admired  here,  in  the  spring  of 
1 800,  the  most  amiable  manners,  with  a  fine  musical  taste, 
and  handsome  execution  on  the  violin,  he  and  myself, 
during  my  stay,  being  the  principal  performers  in  the 
Harmonic  Society.  My  worthy  friend  Prichard  led  the 
way,  as  much  heated  by  the  warmth  of  his  friendship  as 
of  his  two  miles'  walk,  bringing  with  him  also  Wood,  the 
late  editor  of  the  Atlantic  World,  a  paper,  which  is  now 
extinct,  and  may  be  truly  said  to  have  been  the  last  faint 
effort,  save  these  trials,  of  expiring  Burr-ism  under  the 
relentless  fury  of  Democracy.  Wood  is  a  singular  look 
ing  man,  with  a  countenance  expressive  of  great  oddity, 
if  not  of  genius ;  of  few  words,  with  embarrassed  man 
ner,  but  said  to  be  skilled  in  mathematics.  His  appear 
ance  altogether  inspired  some  interest  to  know  him 
better,  and  he  will,  by  my  desire,  enable  me  to  improve 


332  THE  LLEXNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

our  acquaintance.     I  was  agreeably  occupied  with  this 
party  until  General  Tupper  appeared ;  the  news  of  his 
arrival  in  town,  "brought  me  yesterday  evening  by  Jour- 
dan,  must  have  caused  some  little  mental  uneasiness  last 
night  and  this  morning,  of  which  I  was  unable  to  render 
an  account  to  myself.     This  intelligence  could  not  reach 
my  ears  without  arriving  in  the  same  instant  at  my  heart, 
where  it  was  at  once  amalgamated  with  all  my  hopes  and 
anxiety  for  my  family.     With  what  rapidity  did  I  calcu 
late,  over  and  over,  and  conclude  that  I  must  hear  from 
Natchez  by  the  General.     I  had  written  to  my  wife  from 
the  Chickasaw  Nation,  to  direct  to  me  under  cover  to  the 
General.     I  hardly  permitted  myself  to  conclude  an  inter 
change  of  salutations  with  him  when  I  eagerly  inquired 
for  a  letter;  he  had  none,  and  he  left  home^as  late  as  the 
5th  instant.     But  a  few  more  mails  from  Lexington  and 
Marietta,  without  the  blessing  of  a  letter,  and  I  shall  en 
deavor  to  prepare  myself  for  more  awful  trials  than  the 
death-warrant  of  a  wicked   or   a  jealous   Government. 
General  Tupper's  conversation,  which  lasted  about  one 
hour  with  me,  was  very  interesting,  both  to  my  curiosity 
regarding  the  intelligence  I  could  derive  from  him  on  my 
own  account,  and  my  admiration  of  that  honorable  inde 
pendence  he  will  yet  make  the  Government  feel  more  of, 
on  his  part,  when  they  wish  or  desire,  from  the  experience 
they  have  already  had  of  his  temper.     It  seems  much  of 
the  artifice  of  intrigue,  on  the  part  of  Government  or 
their  runners,  has  been  put  in  requisition   to    endeavor 
to  mold  the  General's  disposition  in  the  temper  of  the 
present  prosecutions.     He  has  next  encountered  attempts 
upon  his  honor  indirectly,  to  induce  him  in  some  degree 


DISAPPOINTMENT.  333 

to  countenance  the  testimonies  of  Taylor  and  Albright  to 
the  facts  of  his  having  arrested  me,  with  my  rescue  and 
escape  from  him,  mentioned  12th  instant ;  outrages  upon 
his  character  and  feelings,  which  he  has  repelled  with 
that  disgust  and  contempt  suggested  by  his  honor,  but 
not  without  thereby  incurring,  what,  until  then,  the  con 
servators  of  Jeffersonian  fame  never  thought  of,  insinua 
tions  of  his  concern,  and  threats  to  involve  him  in  the 
pains  and  penalties  of  the  conspiracy.  Either  before  or 
after  this  analysis  of  the  stuff,  which  would  not  take  the 
dye,  proposed,  it  was  politely  signified  to  him,  that  al 
though  he  had  been  recognized  as  a  witness,  on  the  part 
of  the  United  States,  the  prosecutors,  in  kind  considera 
tion  of  the  inconvenience  another  journey  might  put  him 
to,  would  dispense  with  his  further  attendance.  He  said, 
however,  he  would  return  were  he  obliged  to  travel  on 

his  hands  and  knees.     He  also  tells  me,  Doctor  "W is 

alarmed  at  my  presence  here  to  confront  him,  when  he 
shall  dare  to  offer  such  testimony  again  as  he  has  ven 
tured  before  the  grand  jury,  and  is  terrified,  for  he  is  no 
doctor,  at  the  thoughts  of  being  examined  publicly  by 
those  who  are  of  that  profession,  to  prove  he  is  not  one. 
See  my  notes  of  12th  instant,  and  it  will  appear  how 
properly  I  wanted  to  fill  the  place  of  Surgeon-General  in 
the  expedition  ;  but  General  Tupper  says,  he  knows  a 
person  to  whom  W.  said  I  was  jesting  with  him  when  I 
spoke  of  his  going  with  me  as  Surgeon-General.  I  have 
not  been  gratified  with  the  visit  I  expected  to-day  with 
so  much  interest  from  Mr.  Randolph,  but  have  had  a 
long  one  from  Alston,  which  was  taken  up  chiefly  with 
the  subject  of  an  arrangement  of  the  demands  of  Sanders 


334  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

and  Miller;  the  agency  of  Nicholas  has  been  so  tar 
effective  as  to  induce  Alston  to  offer  to  take  a  journey 
forthwith  to  South  Carolina  to  try  to  raise  the  money, 
leaving  Mrs.  A.  here  until  his  return.  He  can  not  offei1 
hopes  of  the  success  of  this  attempt,  and  no  final  adjust 
ment,  I  believe,  will  be  effected,  but  by  the  opinion  and 
advice  of  Mr.  Randolph.  Mr.  Craughton  called  this 
evening,  after  a  severe  walk  of  three  miles,  and  remained 
about  two  hours. 

MONDAY,  AUGUST  17,  1807. 

This  is  a  black  Monday  indeed  with  me,  whether  the 
"cloudiness  of  my  mind  or  of  the  sky  makes  it  appear 
such.  I  feel  well  to-day,  and  took  breakfast  with  some 
appetite,  during  which  Col.  de  Pestre  entered,  and  kept 
up  an  interesting  conversation  with  me  until  noon,  which, 
from  the  complete  coincidence  of  our  opinions  on  certain 
characters,  and  the  reflections  arising  from  the  notes  we 
had  to  compare  on  our  past  interest,  and  connection  with 
them,  could  not  much  tend  to  fortify  me  for  encountering 
the  new  mortifications  occasioned  me  by  a  letter  I  have 
just  received  from  my  estimable  friend,  Jos.  S.  Lewis,  in 
his  private  capacity,  informing  me  that  the  house  of 
which  he  is  the  head,  had,  in  consequence  of  attachments 
served  on  my  funds,  my  last  pecuniary  resource  of  my 
poor  family  in  their  hands,  been  obliged  to  dishonor  all 
the  bills  I  had  drawn,  that  were  presented  for  acceptance 
since  the  20th  of  last  January,  the  day  such ,  attachments 
were  served,  at  suit  of  the  Kentucky  Insurance  Company 
and  Lewis  Sanders,  of  Lexington.  What  discredits  and 
embarrassments  the  return  of  bills  I  have  drawn  at 


DISTRESS.  335 

Natchez,  to  amount  of  §700  or  §800,  will  occasion  my 
afflicted  wife,  I  fear  to  estimate.  Every  day's  trial  seems 
to  inflict  a  new  wound  upon  my  heart,  or  some  part  of  it 
that  has  not  bled  for  my  wife  and  children  ;  my  own  suf 
ferings  have  long  since  destroyed  the  tone,  and  established 
the  apathy,  of  every  nerve  that  vibrated  to  the  first  im 
pulses  of  the  perfidy  and  injustice  that,  by  their  continued 
action,  since  the  beginning  of  last  October  to  the  present 
hour,  have  relieved  my  mind  from  all  care  for  the  dura 
tion  or  issue  of  my  confinement.  I  have  just  dispatched 
a  letter  to  Alston,  requesting  to  see  him,  and  another  to 
Pri chard,  desiring  him  to  retain,  or,  if  disposed  of,  to  try 
and  take  up  a  small  bill  I  drew  on  Philadelphia  a  few 
days  since  for  $100.  Joe  Lewis  tells  me  he  will  honor 
Harding's  bills,  drawn  on  himself  for  $500,  in  considera 
tion  of  my  wife's  situation.  0  !  my  wife,  we  thought  we 
were  serving  a  P  .  .  .  .  ,  and  have  been  the  dupes  of  an 
advocate.  De  Pestre  has  justly  taken  up  the  ideas  sug 
gested  in  my  notes  of  last  Friday.  This  generous  foreigner 
has  narrowed  his  means  of  maintaining  a  large  family, 
besides  some  orphans,  to  the  amount  of  $5,000,  for  which 
he  has  not  been  even  thanked.  I  hear  Alston's  carriage, 
and  must  now  close,  but  for  what  purpose  ?  to  hear  a  re 
petition  of  the  same  professions  of  concern  already  made 
me,  to  which  is  added,  however,  an  offer  to  go  to  Caro 
lina,  in  two  or  three  days,  to  try  to  raise  some  money,  the 
success  of  which,  however,  I  must  understand,  is  very 
problematical.  What  could  I  reply  to  the  professions  of  one 
of  the  richest  men  in  the  Union,  offering  to  assume  these 
demands,  ready  to  sell  or  mortgage,  but  yet  unable  to  get 
the  money  I  never  used  a  cent  of,  but  for  which  the  cries 


336  THE    BLENNERIIASSETT    PAPERS. 

of  rapacious  creditors  rend  the  walls  of  my  prison — ah ! 
that  would  be  indifferent  to  me,  did  I  not  fear  they  are 
loud  enough  to  reach  and  swell  that  heart  that  will  echo 
them  back  to  mine.     For  what  purpose  could  I  desire  to 
see  him  again  on  this  business,  but  to  make  the  last  sacri 
fice  I  had  to  offer ;  alas  !  I  once  thought  it  impossible ;  I 
blush  to  name  it,  to  humble  the  pride  of  integrity  before 
that  of  wealth — to  solicit  his  charity.    I  have  thus  sought 
relief  through  the  storm  by  every  effort  of  skill  or  dili 
gence  I  could  make,  until,  wearied  and  exhausted,  I  have 
set  down  in  the  humility  of  my  heart,  to  drift  perhaps  to 
that  shore  where  the  mercy  of  Heaven  will  recompense 
me,  in  the  participation  of  the  rewards  prepared  for  the 
fortitude   and   virtues  of   a   wife  I   have  been   so   long 
blessed  with.     It  is  a  relief  to  my  heart  to  fill  a  whole 
page  with  a  single  sentence.     The  flood  of  my  sorrows  is 
too  copious  to  suffer  the  artificial  breaks  and  pauses  of 
critical  rules.     My  wife  will  feel  this,  if  no  one  else  can. 
I  wrote  a  very  long  letter  to  Joe  Lewis,  which  I  immedi 
ately  began  when  Alston  left  me,  to  acquaint  him  that 
bills  with  my  indorsements,  on  account  of  which  one  of 
the  attachments  had  been  served  on  his  house,  as  my 
garnishee  had  long  since  been  paid  by  Alston's   agent, 
Mr.  Sam.  Allen,  of  Philadelphia  ;  that  I  had,  in  addition 
to  the  arrangement  I  made  with  Sanders  at  Lexington, 
Kentucky,  a  prospect  of  making  further   arrangements 
here,  through  Alston,  with  Rob.  Nicholas,  the  agent,  and 
Mr.  Edmond  Randolph,  the  lawyer  of  Mr.  Sanders,  by 
which  I  should,  I  expected  in  a  few  days,  have  the  attach 
ment  at  suit  of  Sanders  taken  off,  and  in  the  mean  time, 
until  I  could  see  Mr.  Randolph,  which  I  could  not  do 


WHO   WROTE    IT  ?  337 

to-day  before  the  mail  closed,  I  hoped  Mr.  L.  would  be 
lieve  his  house  would  not  be  proceeded  against  as  my 
garnishee,  and  whatever  obstruction  to  their  currency 
the  little  resources  I  yet  possessed  through  his  house  in 
Philadelphia  were  incumbered  with,  would  be  removed. 
I  have,  to-night,  also  written  to  Mr.  Randolph,  to  request 
him  to  call  upon  me  to-morrow,  before  court  opens. 
Speaking  to-day,  while  Alston  was  here,  before  Col. 
McKee,  of  what  was  doing  in  court,  whither  I  wrote  to 
Alston  to  come  to  me,  A.  said,  they  left  Hay  stating 
the  case,  on  the  part  of  the  prosecution,  damned  the 
speaker,  and  declared  he  would  whip  a  son  of  his,  were 
he  only  twelve  years  old,  that  could  not  make  a  better. 
This  led  me  to  praise  a  pamphlet,  entitled  "Agrestis," 
which  Alston  yesterday  brought  me,  being  two  letters  on 
Wilkinson's  proceedings  at  £Tew  Orleans,  which  for  its 
arrangement  and  strength,  as  well  as  for  some  imagery 
of  the  language,  I  observed,  would  not  be  unworthy  of  a 
Curran,  at  the  same  time  inquiring  who  was  the  author. 
A.  said  that  was  not  known.  I  then  repeated  the  ques 
tion  to  Col.  McKee,  who  said  it  was  a  friend  of  ours ;  at 
least  Mr.  A.  was  suspected.  I  mention  this  trifling  occur 
rence  for  the  sake  of  observing  that  Alston  was  now 
silent,  thereby  appropriating  to  himself  the  merit  of  the 
book,  which  his  wife,  I  have  no  doubt,  might  produce ; 
for  by  the  title-page  of  the  second  edition  printed  here,  it 
appears  the  former,  or  first  edition,  was  published  in 
South  Carolina,  or  else  it  has  proceeded  from  some  other 
genius  of  much  mind  and  erudition;  but  to  suppose 
Alston  the  author  would  be  preposterous  ;  obscurity  may 

consistently  veil  the  parentage  of  Hercules,  but  it  would 

22 


338  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

be  ridiculous  to  suppose  him  the  offspring  of  a  dwarf. 
Take  this  trait  and  test  it  by  the  fact.  There  is  a  pro 
vincial  phrase  or  two  in  the  pamphlet  which  I  will  keep, 
that  proves  it  first  saw  the  light  at  New  Orleans. 

TUESDAY,  AUGUST  18,  1807. 

It  may  easily  be  conceived  how  difficult  it  must  be  for 
one  in  the  state  of  mind  in  which  I  closed  my  notes  of 
the  heavy  hours  of  yesterday,  to  fall  into  that  oblivious 
repose,  through  sleep,  which  easily  ensues  upon  the  ces 
sation  of  ordinary  labor  of  body  or  mind,  and  enables  us, 
by  recreation,  to  perform  the  task  of  misfortune  allotted 
for  the  morrow.  Accordingly,  I  did  not  find  my  bed 
what  it  always  proves  to  the  peasant  or  the  mariner,  the 
grave  of  care.  The  tumult  of  my  mind  had  so  inflamed 
my  body,  that  irritation  on  the  surface  could  not  be 
allayed,  while  trouble  reveled  within.  I  was  restless,  for 
I  was  sick  at  heart,  and  slept  not  soundly  until  toward 
morning.  Yet  I  rose  betimes,  and  had  an  early  visit 
from  Mr.  Randolph,  who  called  upon  me,  in  pursuance 
of  my  request  to  him  by  letter  of  last  night.  I  stated  to 
him  my  embarrassment,  by  Mr.  Sanders  attaching  the 
only  remaining  funds  that  were  tangible,  and  insufficient 
for  the  support  of  my  family ;  observing,  that  if  Mr.  S. 
did  not  withdraw  the  attachment,  which  I  hoped  Mr. 
Randolph  would  forthwith,  as  S.'s  lawyer,  persuade  his 
agent,  Mr.  Nicholas,  to  do,  I  should  consider  my  arrange 
ments  at  Lexington  with  Mr.  S.,  to  secure  and  settle  his 
demands  through  Mr.  Alston,  as  abrogated.  This  seemed 
to  engage  his  reflections ;  but  I  was  sorry  soon  to  find  he 
had  the  indelicacy,  not  only  to  inquire  what  was  the 


CANDOR  !  339 

amount  of  my  funds  in  the  hands  of  Messrs.  Jos.  S.  Lewis 
and  Co.,  but  even  to  tell  me  that  if  a  sum  of  $1,000,  or 
even  $500,  could  be  got  immediately  for  Nicholas  and 
Sanders,  who,  he  knew,  wanted  money,  such  an  expe 
dient,  he  rather  believed,  would  tend  to  give  effect  to 
some  arrangement  into  which  Mr.  Alston  might  be  in 
duced  to  enter ;  adding,  as  he  was  taking  leave,  "  that  I 
knew  how  much  a  little  ready  cash  helped  these  sort  of 
things  forward."  I  had  before  observed  to  Mr.  R.  that 
he  must  know  now,  from  the  nature  of  my  financial  em 
barrassments,  detailed  to  him  in  these  transactions,  how 
little  I  could  presume  on  counsel  I  could  not  remunerate, 
Before  he  left  me,  he  said,  Burr  has  an  excellent  jury,  on 
the  whole,  with  the  exception  of  Parker  alone,  who,  he 
acknowledged,  is  a  worthy,  honorable  man,  but  a  violent 
Jeffersonian  partisan.  I  expressed  my  surprise  at  Burr's 
accepting  him,  after  he  had  avowed  in  court  as  strong 
prejudices  as  some  who  had  been  rejected.  This  indis 
cretion  on  Burr's  part  he  censured.  He  then  told  me 
Hay  was  very  weak  yesterday  in  stating  the  case,  and  he 
had  no  doubt  of  an  acquittal ;  but  to  save  time  and  labor, 
he  very  much  wished  the  Chief  Justice  should  concur  in 
opinion  with  the  counsel  on  the  defense,  who  yesterday 
contended,  in  a  lengthy  argument  with  their  opponents, 
that  no  evidence  of  intentions  should  be  gone  into  until 
overt  acts  had  been  first  proven.  How  the  court  have 
decided  I  shall  know  in  the  morning.  I  now  soon  dis 
patched  a  note  to  Alston,  and  fortunately  continued 
reading  Agrestis  until  I  heard  his  carriage-wheels,  which 
seemed  to  rattle  in  my  ears ;  "  read  on  "  until  after  he  had 
entered  the  room ;  i.  e.,  a  thought  struck  me  that  possi- 


340  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

bly  he  might  have  had  something  to  do  in  the  compo 
sition,  and  I  might  do  more  with  him,  through  his  van 
ity  of  authorship,  than  I  had  yet   been  able  to  effect 
through  any  other  channel.     Admirable !  cried  I,  before 
I   answered  his  salute ;   he  smiled — "  what ! "    said   he, 
"  Agrestis,  are  you  pleased  with  that  little  thing?     "Well, 
I  did  not  care  to  notice  it  yesterday ;  but  I  will  now  tell 
you  in  confidence,  't  was  I  wrote  it."     I  then  pointed  out 
to  him  an  image  or  two,  particularly  one  in  the  first  let 
ter,  of  Justice,  surrounded  by  the  laws,  in  the  sanctuary 
of  her  temple,  poising  in  their  presence  tlie  balance  with 
her  own  hand,  which,  I  said,  would  be  a  fine  subject  for 
the  relief,  alto  relievo ;  while  the  stations  of  her  executive 
officers,  assigned  them  without  the  sanctuary,  might  beau 
tifully  form  the  intaglio,  or  back-ground,  of  a  good  piece 
of  sculpture.     Here  I  threw  down  the  book,  which  he  as 
readily  took  up,  to  descant  on  other  merits  it  possessed, 
or  point  out  errors  of  the  press;  all  of  which  engaged 
my  most   profound  attention.      The   organ  now  wound 
up  ;  I  lost  no  time  to  try  upon  it  the  tune  my  heart  first 
called  for ;  how  do  you  think  it  went  ?     To  admiration  ! 
the  instrument  was  now  so  much  improved ;  the  piece,  so 
often  tried  on  it  before,  was  now  not  only  performed  in 
half  the  time  it  used  to  be,  but  was  worth  double  the 
money  it  would  bring  yesterday.     In  plain  English,  in 
stead  of  paying  one-half  the  money  next  January  twelve 
months,  and  the  other  half  the  January  following,  ac 
cording  to  his  utmost  powers,  to-day  he  was  tuned  up  to 
the  incredible  power  of  paying  the  whole,  not  indeed  to 
day,  but  next  April  twelve  months.     Who  knows  yet  but 
a  judicious  combination  of  discords  to  be  selected  from 


ASPIRATION.  341 

the  letter  to  Pinkne}^  with  some  more  of  the  melody  of 
Agrestis,  might  produce  a  harmony  which,  if  it  can  not 
move  the  oaks,  may  still  solicit  the  responsive  cadence  of 
the  dollars?  He  left  me  with  animated  assurances  of 
seeing  Nicholas  to-day,  and  myself  again  upon  the  "busi 
ness,  not,  however,  without  some  pretty  simpers  about 
Mr.  Randolph's  hint  of  the  $500,  which  he  regarded  as 
soliciting  a  douceur  for  Nicholas;  but  even  that,  he 
hinted,  in  the  suavity  of  his  self-complacency,  would  not 
be  impossible,  when  I  assured  him  it  should  go  in  part 
of  the  demand.  I  have  had  two  or  three  reasons  to-day 
of  lightening  my  heart  of  the  load  that  oppressed  it  yes 
terday.  After  Mr.  Randolph  left  me,  I  walked  about, 
invoking  the  saving  providence  of  Heaven  over  my  wife 
and  children ;  secondly,  better  prospects  opened  to  me, 
from  my  interview  with  Alston ;  and,  thirdly,  the  sincere 
pleasure  I  felt  in  writing  to  another  Eugenius,  as  dear  to 
me  as  the  first  was  to  Yorick,  to  communicate  to  Hard 
ing  a  transcript  of  my  notes  of  yesterday,  and  a  short 
letter  of  to-day,  to  enable  him  to  observe  the  better  under 
what  part  of  the  tottering  fabric  of  my  affairs  he  may  set 
the  firm  prop  of  his  care  and  friendship  for  my  family — 
a  service  in  which,  I  feel,  he  will  not  dally.  The  regards 
of  my  wife  may  one  day  give  him  a  perusal  of  these 
notes,  as  a  supplement  to  his  comments  on  "Agrestis," 
which  I  have  also  sent  him.  I  feel  no  tedium  loci,  and 
have  no  want  but  that  of  letters.  Cock-crow  announces 
the  morn.  Grant,  0  God !  it  brings  health  to  my  family ! 

WEDNESDAY,  AUGUST  10,  1807. 
Saw  Dud.  Woodbridge,  before  breakfast,  who  told  me 


342  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

Eaton,  Truxton,  Taylor,   and    Albright  were  yesterday 
examined  on  the  trial.     This  intelligence  has  fretted  me, 
because  I  find  Burr  disregards  the  caution  I  gave  him,  to 
have  me  present  during  the  examination  of  the  witnesses 
I  knew,  as  they  should  be  produced  against  him.     I  have 
heard  he  alters  the  notes  of  his  counsel,  increased  yester 
day  by  the  addition  of  Mr.  Lee,  and  for  the  most  part 
marks  out  the  course  they  pursue  on  his  defense.     I  hope 
his  negligence  of  the  suggestions  I  have  made  to  him 
will  not  furnish  more  cause  of  repentance  than  he  is 
already  burdened  with.     Hay,  having  again  called  for  my 
arraignment,  and  Mr.  Botts  having,  I  am  told,  said  he 
would  try  to  be  ready  by  Saturday,  I  must  again  revert 
to  my  labors  on  my  brief,  which  I  shall  resume  this  even 
ing.     The  Chief  Justice  has,  I  think  properly,  allowed 
the  prosecutors  to  follow  their  own  course  in  adducing 
their   evidence,  provided  they  ofFer  none  of  any  -other 
treason  than  what  is  laid  in  the  indict.     It  will  appear, 
from  a  correct  report  of  the  trial,  how  far  Hay  contends 
that  the  doctrine  of  constructive  treason  is  law  in  this 
country.     How  candid  he  is  ;  and  what  a  virulent  dispos 
ition  McRae  manifests  to  insinuate  bias  in  the  court  to 
ward  the  accused.      Mr.  John  Banks  brought  me,  this 
morning,  a  paper  containing    Bollman's  long  letter  to 
Duane,  respecting  B.'s  communication  to  the  President, 
which,  if  not  quite  a  justification  of  the  writer,  settles 
however,  forever,  the  honor  and  good  faith  of  Jefferson. 
I  have  not  seen  Alston,  according  to  my  expectation  and 
his  promise ; — the  general  interest  and  curiosity  engaged 
at  the  capitol   must  suspend   all  other  concerns.     This 
evening  General  Tupper  tells  me  that  Hay  boasts  of  hav- 


TEDIUM.  343 

ing  a  number  of  witnesses  to  establish  the  credit  of  Al 
bright.  Eternal  Justice,  then,  support  my  innocence  of 
the  facts  he  has  ventured  to  swear  against  me,  until  I  shall 
appear  before  thy  tribunal,  where  the  vicious  shall  only 
testify  to  their  own  crimes.  General  Tupper  has  also  a 
suspicion  that  Meiggs  may  venture  to  injure  his  credit  as 
a  witness ;  but  the  slightest  attempt  of  that  sort  shall  ex 
hibit  Meiggs  branded  in  the  next  papers  as  a  liar  and  a 
coward.  Eaton's  manner  and  delivery  in  giving  his  evi 
dence  is  highly  extolled  in  the  two  Democratic  papers, 
the  Argus  and  Inquirer;  but  I  am  better  informed  he 
strutted  more  in  buskin  than  usual  on  that  occasion,  and 
the  effect  was  as  diverting  to  the  whole  court  as  it  prob 
ably  was  beneficial  to  the  defense.  Still,  Douglas,  who  is 
pretty  regular  in  his  evening  visits  to  me,  or  to  my  grog 
and  cigars,  tells  me  Burr  is  as  cheerful  as  ever,  though  he 
can  not  feel  insensible  to  the  advantage  the  prosecutors 
have  taken,  in  framing  the  indictment  in  a  manner  to 
correspond  in  its  form  with  the  substance  of  the  opinion 
given  by  Chief  Justice  Marshall,  in  the  cases  of  Bollman 
and  Swartwout,  and  the  industry  they  practice  to  train 
and  back  their  witnesses  to  support  it.  But  as  a  jockey 
might  restore  his  fame  in  the  course,  after  he  had  injured 
it  on  the  tight-rope,  so  perhaps  the  little  "  Emperor,"'  at 
Cole's  Creek,  may  be  forgotten  in  the  Attorney  at  Rich 
mond.  I  have  been  weak  all  day,  and  again  put  off  brief 
ing  until  to-morrow.  11  P.  M. 

THURSDAY,  AUGUST  20, 1807. 

I  had  Mr.  Douglas  called  to  me,  to  request  him  to  treat 
me  to  a  walk  in  the  yard  this  morning  before  breakfast. 


344  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

My  visitors,  in  the  course  of  the  day,  generally  complain 
of  the  closeness  of  my  apartment,  and  some  tell  n.e  they 
choose  to  reside  in  certain  quarters  of  the  town  for  the 
sake  of  high  elevation  and  more  air;  others,  that  they 
prefer  country  quarters  near  town,  for  similar  reasons,  and 
wishing  me  soon  to  partake  of  like  advantages.  My 
walk  for  half  an  hour  in  the  yard  this  morning,  heing  the 
second  time  I  have  been  from  under  the  roof  of  this 
building,  save  the  day  I  was  taken  to  court,  10th  instant, 
was  very  agreeable,  notwithstanding  its  narrow  limits, 
both  of  time  and  space,  and  the  high  walls  and  buildings, 
in  defiance  of  all  which  my  lungs  seemed  to  me  to  quaff 
their  aerial  draughts  with  a  spring  and  vigor  I  have  sel 
dom  felt  before.  I  have  procured  materials  from  the 
druggist  for  making  some  oxygenized  muriatic  acid  gas, 
with  which  I  will,  perhaps  to-morrow,  destroy  the  noisome 
miasma  that  infests  the  air  of  these  rooms.  Continued 
my  labors  on  my  brief,  of  which  I  completed  the  seven 
teenth  folio  by  dinner  time,  when,  who  will  believe  it !  I 

was  visited  in  the  most  friendly  manner  by  David  "W e. 

It  is  inconceivable  how  he  will  profit  by  the  hints  he  has 
had  from  General  Tupper,  or  if  called  upon  again,  which 
he  seems  to  dread,  how  he  will  travel  out  of  his  deposi 
tion  before  the  grand  jury.  I  received  him  with  the 
courtesy  of  a  prisoner,  now  in  his  own  quarters.  He  sat 
a  little,  and  then  took  leave,  confused.  I  was  not  after 
ward  left  fifteen  minutes  alone,  before  every  muscle  of 
my  face  was  relaxed  from  the  rigor  in  which  W.  had 
bound  them,  to  wanton  in  the  liveliest  welcome  of  Little 
Gates,  who  hurried  to  take  my  hand  with  an  ardor  and 
frankness  that  testified  the  sincere  interest  he  felt  in  see- 


DILEMMA.  345 

ing  me  well.  He  had  been  in  town  since  Sunday,  but  his 
duties  of  attending  to  the  chance  of  his  being  called  as  a 
witness  in  court,  and  the  irresistible  interest  excited  there 
since  his  arrival,  prevented  his  calling  on  me  sooner.  He 
staid  better  than  an  hour,  during  which  his  conversation 
was  full  of  interest  and  entertainment,  from  certain  com 
munications  he  made  me,  of  men  and  things,  of  which 
I  shall  make  use  in  my  brief,  as  well  as  from  two  or  three 
anecdotes  and  stories  he  told  me  of  some  military  char 
acters,  and  their  achievements  at  Marietta,  on  the  night 
the  boats  were  seized  there,  of  all  which  he  acquitted 
himself  with  great  humor  and  spirit.  I  shall  expect  the 
fulfillment  of  his  promise  to  visit  me  often,  with  as  much 
interest  as  I  felt  this  evening.  Visited  by  a  sensible,  gen 
teel  man,  with  a  hard  Dutch  name,  which  I  forget,  hav 
ing  lost  his  ticket.  He  reminded  me  of  having  seen  me, 
seven  years  ago,  in  this  town,  and  invited  me  to  his  house, 
when  I  recover  my  liberty.  My  last  visitor  was  Stokely, 
who  declared,  had  he  been  in  Wood  county  at  the  time 
of  the  troubles,  by  which  my  family  and  property  so 
much  suffered,  he  would  have  exerted  whatever  influence 
he  had  to  prevent  them.  He  said  he  was  very  sorry  to 
observe  the  counsel  on  both  sides  agreeing  in  one  thing 
at  least,  that  is,  to  keep  me  so  constantly  as  they  do  in 
the  front  of  the  fight.  He  could  not  understand  the 
policy  of  A.  Burr's  counsel,  contending  that  their  client 
is  not  answerable  for  any  acts  of  mine,  and  affected  to 
lament  deeply  his  fears,  that,  in  addition  to  all  I  had  al 
ready  suffered,  I  should  end  at  last  by  falling  a  victim  be 
tween  the  cunning  of  Burr,  on  the  one  side,  and  the  fury 
and  prejudice  of  the  prosecutors  on  the  other.  I  thanked 


346  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

him,  and  said,  I  had  thoughts  of  summoning  him  as  a 
witness  for  certain  purposes  that  might  be  connected  with 
my  defense,  hoping,  if  I  should  do  so,  he  would  excuse 
the  trouble  of  the  journey ;  to  which  he  assented,  with 
expressing  great  desire  to  see  me  again  settled  in  the 
"  White  House  on  the  Island."  But  how  much  sooner 
should  I  suspect  treachery  in  this  man  twelve  months 
past,  than  in  others  who  have  since  been  seeking  my  ruin. 
Old  Neale  will  not  come  to  see  me,  partly  from  scruples 
as  to  the  obligations  of  duty,  being  summoned  on  part  of 
prosecution,  and  the  aversion  he  would  feel  to  see  me  in 
this  place.  Hay  having  yesterday  stated  he  would  rest 
the  evidence,  as  to  the  overt  acts,  "Wickham  has  to-day 
spoken  very  ably  for  four  hours,  chiefly  to  contend,  that, 
the  acts  not  having  been  proved,  no  evidence  should  be 
offered  of  the  intentions,  or  that  if  the  acts  have  been 
proved,  Burr,  as  an  accessary  at  a  distance  from  the  scene 
of  action,  can  not  be  proceeded  against,  until  I,  as  a  prin 
cipal,  shall  be  convicted.  If  I  have  been  correctly  in 
formed,  the  ground  has  been  judiciously  taken,  and  will 
no  doubt  be  ably  maintained  by  Mr.  Wickham,  and  the 
host  that  will  follow  him.  I  can  not  expect,  at  such  a 
crisis,  Alston  will  give  a  thought  to  any  thing  out  of 
court.  I  should  have  added,  wrhen  speaking  of  Stokely, 
that  I  learned  from  him  that  James  Wilson  has  lost  his 
wife,  and  left  Wood  county  for  another  residence.  How 
has  he  left  my  business  ?  and  what  has  he  done  with  the 
valuable  papers  I  intrusted  to  his  charge  ?  My  children, 
will  your  unhappy  father  yet  have  days  and  health  suffi 
cient  to  gather  together  the  little  fragments  of  your  prop 
erty,  so  widely  scattered  over  the  face  of  the  earth  ?  If 


HONOR.  347 

he  but  live  to  finish  that  task,  he  will  then  be  ready  to 
take  the  last  journey  for  his  wages.  My  wife  will,  if  I 
can  not,  seek  the  obligations  of  Dud.  Woodbridge,  sen., 
and  others,  from  J.  Wilson,  before  she  spares  a  sigh  to 

time. 

FRIDAY,  AUGUST  21,  1807. 

D.  Woodbridge  called  and  sat  with  me  this  morning 
longer  than  he  has  done  altogether  since  I  have  been 
here.  He  has  got  over  the  care  of  his  examination, 
which  worried  him  yesterday  in  court  nearly  two  hours, 
and  was,  I  understand,  rather  a  disservice  to  the  interests 
of  the  prosecution  than  otherwise.  No  witnesses  are  yet 
discharged,  and  all  are  as  uncertain  how  long  they  will 
be  detained  as  ever,  unless  there  be  grounds  for  an  opin 
ion  Mr.  Botts  has  given  to  Duane,  that  the  trial  will  be 
over  by  Wednesday  or  Thursday.  Mr.  B.  must  think 
Hay,  who,  I  hear,  has  demanded  time  to  examine  authori 
ties  cited  on  the  other  side  in  support  of  Wickham's 
motion,  will  not  succeed  in  opposing  it.  It  appears  my 
name  is  as  often  made  use  of  in  court,  during  my  absence, 
as  it  will  be  again  on  my  own  trial,  when  some  curious, 
contrarieties  of  facts  and  testimonies  may  come  out,  if  I 
ever  shall  be  tried.  D.  Woodb ridge,  from  looking  over 
that  part  of  my  brief  narrating  the  conduct  of  the  Hender 
sons,  in  betraying  my  confidence  to  Graham,  etc.,  was  led 
to  acquaint  me  with  a  fact  I  was  not  a  little  mortified  to 
learn,  viz.,  that  Botts  is  married  to  a  sister  of  Mrs.  Sandy 
Henderson.  Must  I,  then,  withhold  to  defend  myself 
against  the  most  serious  witnesses  against  me,  though  my 
generous  benefactor  and  enlightened  patron,  engaged  to 
protect  my  life  and  character  against  the  deadly  assaults 


348  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

of  his  own  relatives,  with  no  other  recompense  than  the 
pride  of  interposing  the  barrier  of  his  talents  between  a 
distressed  family  and  its  menaced  ruin,  be  averse  to 
listen  to  a  statement  he  would  still  less  choose  to  advocate 
of  his  connections  ?  Had  I  been  apprised  of  this  difficulty 
in  my  first  interview  with  Mr.  B.,  I  know  not  how  he 
could  have  relieved  me  from  it.  I  must  see  him  on  the 
subject  before  I  send  him  a  brief.  Strange,  that  every 
embarrassment  I  labor  under,  great  or  small,  is  derived 
from  the  same  source.  Dudley  tells  me  my  wife's  favor 
ite  horse,  Robin,  was  stolen,  with  other  things,  by  one 

Welch,  who  has  not  since  been  heard  of;  that  J s,  the 

honest,  returned  him  the  $40,  and  that  M ,  the  zeal 
ous,  kept  the  other  $20.  Falsehood !  thy  name  is  Man — 
not  Woman.  Willey  visited  me  to-day,  and  was  truly 
glad  to  see  me  again.  I  made  him  give  me  a  detail  of  all 
his  adventures  from  leaving  the  boats.  He  had  traveled, 
in  his  story,  as  far  as  Fort  St.  Stephen's,  on  the  Tombig- 
bee  river,  where  he  was  arrested,  after  having  lost  one  of 
his  horses,  and  lived  with  the  mulatto  boy  Harry  for  six 
days  on  damaged  corn.  Having  missed  his  way,  he  had 

not  seen  Col.  Burr  from  the  time  he  left  Judge  B 's 

till  he  found  him  at  Washington  City. 

SATURDAY,  AUGUST  22,  1807. 

While  at  breakfast,  little  Luckett  stepped  in.  He  pro 
duced  to  me,  I  hope,  the  last  bill,  with  my  indorsement, 
drawn  by  Burr ;  I  had  no  note  or  recollection  of  it.  It 
was  drawn  on  the  same  baseless  authority  as  the  rest,  for 
$2,500,  and  had,  of  course,  suffered  a  like  fate ;  yet 
Luckett  had  not  attempted  any  proceedings  against  me, 


PREPARING.  349 

though  he  showed  me  an  account  stating  a  balance 
against  Burr  of  upward  of  §8,000,  by  which,  and  losses 
he  has  sustained,  he  says,  he  has  been  quite  ruined.  He 
intreated  my  best  interests  with  Alston,  and  never  expects 
any  thing  from  rne.  I  nope  soon  to  be  able  to  state  the 
details  of  a  final  arrangement  with  Burr  and  Alston,  to 
extricate  me  from  all  these  embarrassments.  Having 
learned  from  Luckett,  I  was  to  be  taken  to  court  to-day, 
at  noon,  to  be  arraigned,  I  was  in  the  act  of  dressing 
when  two  Deputy  Marshals  called  upon  me,  half  an  hour 
earlier  than  was  necessary,  excusing  themselves  by  say 
ing  my  watch  was  so  much  too  slow,  though  it  was 
exactly  with  the  town  clock.  The  distance  from  hence 
to  the  capitol  being  nearly  a  mile,  and  as  I  have  not  been 
well,  I  had  sent  my  servant  to  town  to  procure  me  a 
horse,  but  as  he  had  not  yet  returned,  I  asked  these  gen 
tlemen  if  they  had  brought  a  carriage,  as  had  been  done 
the  last  day  I  was  taken  to  court,  telling  them  my  reasons 
for  not  wishing  to  walk.  They  answered,  "  the  law  did 
not  make  any  such  provisions,  and  the  walk  would  serve 
me."  So  I  soon  attended  them,  though  not  in  the  style 
that  was  provided  the  10th  instant.  My  two  attendants 
on  foot,  to-day,  were  unarmed,  both  going  and  returning. 
I  had  time  enough  before  court  opened  to  prepare  for  my 
counsel  a  list  of  thirty-nine  witnesses  I  should  have  time 
allowed  me  to  get  here  before  I  could  be  ready  to  go  to 
trial.  Of  these,  I  informed  Mr.  Botts,  twelve  I  deemed 
material  to  disprove  all  evidence  that  did,  or  might  yet 
attempt  to,  prove  my  having  committed  any  overt  act ; 
the  rest  to  prove  I  had  in  nothing  manifested  a  traitorous 
design,  and  of  the  number  I  wanted  subpcenas  duces  tecum, 


350  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

for  five  or  six,  to  procure  the  production  of  various  docu 
ments  that  might  be  necessary  to  my  defense.  My  other 
witnesses  are  summoned  on  either  side,  in  the  present 
trial;  so  that  the  original  list  I  took  with  me  to  court  to 
day  contains  no  less  than  fifty -five.  Mr.  B.  then  stated, 
that  as  a  long  list  of  witnesses  I  had  furnished  him  lived 
as  distant  from  hence  as  Natchez,  it  seemed  hest  to  post 
pone  my  arraignment  until  the  opinion  of  the  court 
should  he  known  on  the  several  points  made  on  the  part 
of  A.  Burr,  which  would  equally  affect  my  case  and  his, 
when,  if  necessary,  I  should  he  prepared  to  state  at  what 
time  I  could  expect  the  forthcoming  of  my  witnesses,  so 
that  I  might  be  arraigned  by  Wednesday.  To  this,  Hay 
agreed ;  the  court,  which  sat  to-day  only  on  my  account, 
was  adjourned,  and  I  returned  to  this  prison  as  I  left  it, 
that  is,  unarraigned.  I  hear  Bollman  is  with  Burr  con 
stantly,  and  no  doubt  busy.  If  it  does  not  appear  that 
Burr  can  boast  as  Chas.  Fox  did,  amidtice,  sempiternce,  yet 
may  he  say  inimicitice  placabilis.  Alston's  prose,  and  Boll- 
man's  talents  for  intrigue,  are  recommendations  or  ano 
dynes  to  a  mind  that  finds  no  difficulty  in  obliterating  the 
impressions  of  sensations  heretofore  received  from  either 
by  the  letter  to  Pinkney,  which  is  before  the  public,  or 
the  process-verbal  of  the  interview  with  Jefferson,  which 
is  not  yet  given  to  the  world  in  detail.  Enough  has 
already  appeared  in  these  notes  to  warrant  my  suspicions 
as  to  Alston  ;  and,  in  addition  to  the  hint  given,  to-day 
and  19th  instant,  of  my  opinion  on  Bollman's  manoeuvre 
with  Jefferson,  I  am  the  more  confirmed  in  a  disposition 
to  mistrust  both  the  motive  and  the  matter  of  the  inter 
view,  as  well  as  his  letter  to  Duane,  because,  as  yet,  he 


I 
FRESH   AIR.  351 

has  not  had  the  curiosity  to  see  me  ;  neither  a  community 
of  interest  nor  suffering  has  affected  him.  He  has  had  no 
other  motive  probably  to  suggest  to  him  a  wish  for  my 
acquaintance,  for  he  has  possibly  never  heard  from 
authority  that  I  had  been  offered  to  choose  him  or  Shaw 
for  my  private  secretary,  when  I  should  name  a  diplomatic 
appointment  for  myself.  This  would  have  been  a  useless 
and  dangerous  humiliation  of  Mr.  B.'s  pride,  which,  no 
doubt,  his  master  has  long  since  found  more  accommo 
dating  to  his  views  than  mine.  My  visitors,  this  evening, 
were  General  Tupper,  D.  Woodbridge,  Belknap,  Wood 
and  Doctor  Bennett.  The  last,  who  has  been  brought 
here  to  support  P.  Taylor's  evidence,  of  my  having  writ 
ten  to  him  a  treasonable  letter,  by  Taylor,  is  friendly,  and 
can  swear  that  I  wrote  nothing  to  him  of  a  traitorous 
nature,  though  Taylor  told  him  the  letter  was  of  that 
sort  when  he  gave  it  to  him.  The  doctor  says,  he  sup 
posed  I  wanted  the  arms  I  wrote  to  him  to  endeavor  to 
borrow  for  me,  ten  or  twenty  guns,  to  defend  my  family 
and  property  against  illegal  outrage  he  knew  I  appre 
hended  at  that  time  from  the  Wood  county  volunteers, 
in  the  same  sense  in  which,  in  my  brief,  I  have  stated  this 
part  of  my  case  to  counsel.  General  Tupper  read  over  a 
most  humorous  lampoon  on  most  of  the  military  charac 
ters  engaged  in  the  heroic  feats  of  arms  they  performed 
on  the  night  of  the  10th  of  December  last  at  Marietta, 
of  which,  I  hope,  I  shall  obtain  a  copy  to  relieve  the 
ennui  of  these  notes.  I  find  it  very  agreeable  this  even 
ing  to  get  upon  a  chair,  by  which  I  am  enabled  to  raise 
my  mouth  to  the  lower  tier  of  openings  in  the  grating 
of  the  windows  and  breathe  another  air  for  half  an  hour. 


352  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPEKS. 

SUNDAY,  AUGUST  23,  1807. 

If  Alston  could  not  make  the  same  excuse  for  not  call 
ing  on  me  yesterday  that  he  might  have  offered  some  days 
back,  still  less  could  he  do  so  to-day,  when  I  suspect  he 
has  been  sent  to  me.  Luckett,  this  morning,  told  me  it 
was  Col.  Burr's  wish  that  I  should  write  to  Alston,  to  do 
the  best  he  could  for  him,  about  the  dishonored  bill  L. 
holds  with  my  indorsement.  Suspecting  the  correctness 
of  this  statement,  I  replied,  "  that  Col.  Burr  was  a  ready 
penman,  and  in  the  habit  of  writing  to  me  on  matters  of 
business ;  that  L.,  therefore,  must  endeavor  to  get  him  to 
specify,  under  his  hand,  how  it  was  necessary  Mr.  Alston 
should  learn  his  wishes  from  me  while  they  saw  each 
other  every  day;  my  own  wishes  for  the  relief  of  L.  I 
had  no  objection  to  signify  to  Mr.  Alston  in  my  own  way." 
Luckett  posted  off,  and  has  procured  by  his  importunities, 
not  a  letter  from  Burr,  who  never  puts  pen  to  paper 
but  under  the  influence  of  necessity,  though  he  is,  per 
haps,  the  most  constant  writer  in  America,  but  a  visit 
from  Alston.  When  he  came  in,  I  inquired,  "what 
were  Col.  Burr's  expectations  of  the  fate  of  the  motions 
now  before  the  court  ? "  He  said,  "  they,  or  some  of  them, 
would  prevail,  and  the  trial  would  be  over  by  Wednesday 
or  Thursday ;  that  he  and  Mrs.  Alston  would  very  soon 
leave  town,  and  that  Col.  Burr,  on  his  discharge,  would 
immediately  occupy  himself  with  the  business  of  form 
ing  a  land  company,  and  settling  the  Washita  lands." 
Perceiving  he  had  an  interest  in  thus  abruptly  informing 
me  of  this  project,  I  encouraged  him  to  dwell  upon  it, 
when  I  found  that,  though  he  had  been  conversing  with 


SUSPICION.  353 

Burr  011  the  subject,  he  wished  me  to  inform  him  whether 
Burr  had  ever  seen  the  lands.  I  told  him  I  was  not  cer 
tain,  but  believed  not,  adding,  that  Tyler  and  Smith, 
who  had  once  been  very  intent  on  settling  there,  had  long 
ago  abandoned  the  scheme,  believing,  from  information 
they  had  procured,  and  could  rely  upon,  Lynch's  title  was 
bad,  and  they  were  accordingly  busily  preparing  to  settle 
in  the  Attakapas  .country,  very  distant  from  the  Washita 
lands,  which  were  condemned  by  very  good  judges  I 
named  to  him,  who  had  visited  them.  Alston  seemed 
surprised  at  this  intelligence,  and  said  the  commissioners 
had  confirmed  Lynch's  title.  I  told  him  I  doubted  that, 
but  it  was  immaterial,  as  Lynch  had  long  ago  been  a 
bankrupt,  so  that  I  had  not  much  thought  of  accepting 
or  purchasing  10,000  acres  of  those  lands  which  Col. 
Burr  had  offered  me.  I  should  not  be  surprised  to  learn 
very  soon  that  Burr  has  been  promising  to  replenish 
Alston's  coffers,  which  he  will  empty  of  §50,000  at  least, 
from  his  Eldorado  on  the  Washita.  I  well  know  B.'s 
address,  in  preventing  or  evading  the  simple  questions  he 
does  not  like  to  answer.  I  have  seen  Alston  often  yield 
to  it,  and  wonder  not  that  he  shall  seek  from  me  that  in 
formation  of  which  he  found  Burr  so  tenacious.  This, 
then,  may  turn  out  another  instance,  in  addition  to  many 
others  I  have  furnished,  in  which  B.  may  see  cause  to 
deprecate  my  knowledge  of  him,  and  curse  that  candor 
of  integrity  that  has  so  often  traversed  his  purposes. 
Bollman's  cautious  skill,  perhaps,  will  never  betray  him 
into  similar  indiscretions ;  but  Major  Smith  will  be  here 
to-morrow,  and  then  bursts  the  bubble.  After  I  had  next 

given  Alston  some  account,  by  his  desire,  of  the  country 
23 


354  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

about  Natchez,  in  which  I  also  took  liberty  to  correct 
many  errors  in  Col.  Burr's  view  of  that  subject,  I  con 
trived  to  let  him  broach  the  business  he  came  on.     He 
asked  me  if  I  had  seen  Nicholas  to-day.     I  said  no ;  but 
Luckett  had  been  here  with  another  of  my  indorsements, 
and  an  account  he  showed  me,  with  a  balance  struck 
against  Col.  Burr,  of  something  better  than  $8,000 ;  thus, 
said  I,  almost  every  week  I  discover  some  new  demand 
upon  me  on  account  of  this  business  ;  and  I  have  now 
ascertained  that,  besides  other  losses,  my  name  has  me 
responsible  for  $21,000.     Well !  says  he,  it  will  cost  me  at 
least  $50,000.     I  mentioned  the  bill  and  balance  together, 
to  try  if  he  would  offer  any  objections  to  responsibilities 
I  had  entered  into  exceeding  the  amount  of  his  guarantee 
to  me,  but  finding  he  did  not,  I  then  told  him  the  amount 
of  the  bill  was  only  $2,500.     With  the  account  between 
Col.  Burr  and  Luckett  I  had   no  concern,  and   recom 
mended  the  latter  to  such  present  relief  as  he  could  afford 
him.     He  seemed  pleased ;  said  Nicholas  would  probably 
accept  his  terms ;  should  remove  the  incumbrances  on  my 
property  in  Philadelphia,  and  invited  me  to  Carolina,  and 
promised  soon  to  see  me  again.     Then,  returning  to  the 
subject  of  the  trial,  he  told  me  a  piece  of  news,  which 
well  deserves  a  place  here — as  so  much  secret  history, 
characteristic  of  the  feelings  and  energies  of  the  Chief 
Justice.      It  seems,  after  the  Judge  had  determined  to 
give  the  prosecutors  time,  from  Friday  until  Monday,  to 
prepare  to  answer  the  arguments  of  the  opposite  counsel 
on  four  points,  any  one  of  which  being  supported  by  the 
court,  the  trial  ends.    A  friend  of  General  Marshall  asked 
him  if,  in  suspending  a  criminal  prosecution  by  granting 


VATICINATION.  355 

this  indulgence,  he  had  not  made  a  rule  that  had  no  pre 
cedent.  To  this  he  answered,  "he  knew  it;"  but  if  he 
should  decide  against  the  prosecutors  on  any  of  these 
points,  he  would  be  reproached  with  not  being  disposed  to 
give  them  an  opportunity  to  answer  them ;  and  that  he 
will  probably  not  overrule  them  at  all  is  more  probable 
from  an  expression  of  his,  while  playing  at  chess  with 
Wickham,  since  the  latter  made  the  points.  "  Do  n't  you 
think,"  said  he,  "you  will  be  able  to  check-mate  these 
fellows,  and  relieve  us  from  being  kept  here  three  weeks 
more  ? "  In  the  evening  Gates  called,  and  soon  left  me, 
to  give  way  to  Wickham  and  Botts.  This  visit  provided 
for  a  wish  I  yesterday  expressed,  in  court,  to  Mr.  B.,  to 
see  him  in  the  course  of  this  day,  my  object  being  to  state 
to  him  candidly  the  objections  I  had  lately  discovered  to 
his  appearing  as  an  advocate  for  me  in  my  defense,  which 
might  expose  the  breach  of  honor  and  confidence  I  com 
plained  of,  on  the  part  of  his  connections.  But  as  he 
brought  Mr.  Wickham  with  him,  and  it  seemed  their 
joint  opinion  that  the  decision  on  the  points  now  before 
the  court  would  probably  this  week  put  an  end  to  Burr's 
trial,  and  occasion  the  relinquishment  of  mine,  or,  if  that 
did  not  happen,  they  had  determined  upon  a  plea  in 
abatement,  for  a  misnomer  to  the  indictment  in  my  case, 
which  they  thought  must  prevail,  and  then  the  prose 
cutors  would  probably  despair  of  success  in  getting 
another  grand  jury  to  find  another  bill  against  me ;  or, 
if  they  should  make  such  an  experiment,  I  should  most 
probably,  in  the  mean  time,  be  admitted  to  bail.  From 
this  view  of  their  opinions,  I  said  I  hoped  it  would  not  be 
necessary  to  trouble  them  with  my  brief,  and  I  could  not 


356  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

venture  the  appeal  to  Mr.  Botts's  feelings,  which  I  pro 
posed  to  make  in  this  interview.  My  accomplished 
friends  now  terminated  their  visit  with  their  accustomed 
kindness,  and  left  me  in  a  sublime  reverie  on  their  virtues 
and  talents,  which  was  soon  broken  in  upon,  by  the  ap 
pearance  of  Mr.  Douglas  with  a  stranger ;  I  should  rather 
have  said,  by  two  apparitions,  for  it  was  now  near  night 
fall,  and  Douglas  no  sooner  appeared  than  he  turned  on 
his  heel,  saying,  "  Colonel  Duane,  sir,"  and  ran  down 
stairs.  The  surprise  of  this  interruption  the  stranger, 
whom  I  had  never  before  seen,  did  not  suffer  to  endure 
long  enough  to  allow  me  to  invoke  the  angels  and  min 
isters  of  grace  for  my  protection.  I  was  already  within 
the  grasp  of  this  Gabriel  of  the  Government.  He  seized 
my  hand,  and  bade  me  dismiss  my  surprise,  however 
natural  it  might  be  on  his  appearance  before  me.  I 
handed  him  a  chair,  and  said,  "  I  had  lived  long  enough 
in  this  country  to  be  surprised  at  nothing  it  could  produce 
or  exhibit,  but  yet  desired  to  learn  from  what  cause  I  had 
the  favor  of  this  visit."  "  Having  heard  Mr.  Douglas  ob 
serve,"  said  he, "  you  would  be  pleased  to  see  me."  "  Sir, 
Mr.  D.  has  made  a  mistake ;  he  must  have  meant  some 
body  else."  "  No  matter,"  continued  he ;  "  having  seen 
and  known  your  present  situation,  I  could  not  as  a  man, 
and  an  Irishman" — here  he  digressed,  to  show  how  he 
both  was,  and  was  not,  an  Irishman — "  I  would  not  leave 
this  town  without  warning  you  of  the  sacrifice  now  pre 
paring  to  appease  the  Government  by  your  friends,  of 
which  you  are  destined  to  be  the  victim.  You  can  not 
desire  any  other  key  to  my  meaning  than  the  course  the 
defence  has  this  week  taken  ;  but  if  you  think  the  Gov- 


COL.    DUANE.  357 

ernment  will  not  cease  to  pursue  that  justice  they  possess 
the  means  of  insuring,  and  suspect,  as  you  ought,  the 
designs  of  those  you  have  too  long  thought  your  friends, 
it  might  yet  appear  no  better,  on  my  part,  than  a  nominal 
service  to  give  you  these  cautions.  I  have  therefore 
sought  you,  not  to  tender  you  words,  hut  deeds  ;  the  only 
return,  on  your  part,  will  be  that  care  of  yourself  which 
will  find  a  shield  in  my  honor  " — here  he  very  awkwardly 
struck  his  breast,  and  grinned  a  ghastly  smile — "  and 
that  confidence  I  can  command  in  the  Government,  whose 
good  faith  is  not  misplaced  in  the  zeal  I  have  testified  to 
serve  it."  To  this  harangue,  delivered  somewhat  less, 
perhaps,  with  the  action  and  manner  of  Satan  personat 
ing  Duane  than  that  of  a  felon,  he  added  violent  prot 
estations  of  his  wishes  to  serve  me,  saying  that  for  that 
purpose  he  would  put  off*  his  journey  back  to  Phila 
delphia,  which  otherwise  was  irrevocably  fixed  for  Wed 
nesday,  and  would  now,  or  at  any  time  hereafter,  go  to 
Washington  for  me,  where  nothing  he  should  ask  would 
be  refused  him.  In  thanking  him  for  the  frankness  and 
zeal  with  which  he  cautioned  me  against  my  friends, 
and  a  negligence  of  my  safety,  I  assured  him  I  was  not 
afraid  to  meet  the  prosecution,  as  I  expected  I  should, 
before  my  arrival  here,  without  counsel  or  friends ;  but 
from  present  appearances  I  was  more  curious  than  in 
terested  to  learn  what  were  those  means  he  said  Govern 
ment  possessed  of  insuring  justice?  Finding  by  his 
answer  he  was  now  disposed  to  allure  me  into  a  con 
fession  of  having  written  certain  papers  in  the  hands 
of  the  prosecutors,  I  told  him,  "  the  warmth  of  his  offers 


358  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

to  serve  me  could  not  make  me  forget  either  his  situation 
or  my  own,  with  relation   to  the    Government;   that   I 
cared  not  what  writings    should  he  charged  upon   me, 
I  should  admit  none  until  fairly  proved,  which,  if  any 
such   should  ever  appear,  I  would  justify,  if  necessary, 
on  the  scaffold.     He  now  summed  up  the  objects  of  his 
mission,  whatever   produced    it,   with    ahuse    of    Burr, 
Tyler    and    Smith,  acknowledging    that    he   had    heen 
served  gratis  hy  the  first,  in  the  most  handsome   man 
ner  ;  that  the  others  were  more  concerned  against   the 
Government  than  I  was ;  hut  swearing  that  he  believed, 
if  I  did  not  follow  his  advice,  they  would  make  a  scape 
goat  sacrifice  of  me  for  their  deliverance.     Can  I  make 
no  use,  then,  of  this  adventure  ?  yes,  I  will  put  this  in 
terest  in  requisition,  if  I    can't   find   readier   means   to 
abbreviate  the  imprisonment  of  Vaun.    I  have  again  laid 
by  my  brief,  which  I  shall  not  probably  soon  resume 
until  all  my  expectations  of  Burr's  success  and  my  own 
are  reversed.     In  the  mean  time,  I  will  attend  to  the 
adjustment  of  my  private  affairs.     Ellis  called  in  to-day, 
and  seemed  pleased  with  having  it  in  his  power  to  offer  to 
spare  some  money  to  me,  if  I  wanted  it.    I  was  very  glad, 
I  said,  to  find  Col.  Burr  was  in  cash.     "  Not  at  all,"  said 
he ;  "I  was  with  the  Marshal,  and  pretended  a  subpoena 
had  been  served  on  me  at  Natchez,  and  got  140  odd  dol 
lars.     This  was  all  Col.  Burr  could  yet  do  for  me."     This 
is    caution,  with   a   vengeance..    The  Marshal's  runners 
have  these  two  nights  past  been  in  busy  search  of  General 
Dayton.      If  he  is  taken  this  way,  how  will  he  appear 
to  the  multitude? 


ALSTON.  359 

i 

MONDAY,  AUGUST  24,  1807. 

Between  8  or  9,  A.  M.,  arrived  Major  Smith  in  this 
place.  He  has  got  the  room  under  me  to  sleep  in,  and 
no  reasons  of  state  or  measures  of  public  safety  appear 
at  present,  though  they  were  obvious  three  weeks  ago,  to 
prevent  our  living  together  until  bed-time,  that  is,  8,  P.  M. 
He  has  not  heard  from  Burr,  though  Mr.  Martin  has 
visited  and  offered  him  to  be  his  counsel,  gratis.  I  was 
visited  by  De  Pestre,  whom  I  was  obliged  to  send  away 
to  attend  to  Nicholas,  who  will  probably  do  something 
definite  as  to  Sanders  with  Alston  to-day  or  early  to 
morrow.  For,  strange  to  say,  the  latter,  De  Pestre 
assured  me,  was  going  home  to-day,  but  Nicholas  says  he 
will  put  it  off  until  to-morrow.  I  apprehend  I  slaall  be 
obliged  to  accept  of  that  friendly  invitation  he  gave  me 
yesterday.  Smith  heard  that  Burr  has  made  financial 
arrangements  in  Philadelphia  to  settle  every  thing  after 
his  acquittal.  Midnight. 

TUESDAY,  AUGUST  25,  1807. 

The  unexpected  arrival  of  Alston  on  the  stairs  before 
8  o'clock  this  morning,  while  I  was  walking  with  Major 
Smith  in  the  passage,  operated  as  a  panic,  and  soon 
inspired  a  conviction  of  the  apprehensions  I  entertained 
yesterday,  after  having  seen  De  Pestre,  that  he  would  be 
off  with  French  leave.  I  composed  myself,  however,  to 
receive  him  with  an  air  of  confidence  I  have  generally  of 
late  dissembled  toward  him,  affecting  at  the  same  time  a 
little  surprise  at  so  early  a  visit.  This  he  parried,  with  a 
whiff  of  his  cigar,  which  gave  him  time  to  think  to  say, 


360  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

"  the  court  was  to  sit  as  early  as  nine,  and  he  meant  to 
lose  nothing  of  all  that  was  expected  from  Wirt,  who 
would  have  the  advantage  of  a  good  foil  afforded  him 
yesterday  by  the  wretched  exhibition  of  McRae,  which 
soon  became  so  flat,  that  it  nearly  cleared  the  Louse." 
"  He  affected,"  said  he,  "  to  prance  at  starting,  but  could 
only  crawl  all  day  over  the  ground ;  even  Hay  confessing 
he  did  not  understand  the  question,  and  Botts,  who  would 
next  have  spoken,  declaring  that  he  had  heard  nothing 
that  required  a  reply  from  him.  Alston  now  called  me 
into  my  apartment  to  dispatch  the  object  of  his  early 
visit,  which  seemed  to  be,  to  leave  town  without  incurring 
any  complaints  of  mine  for  not  concluding,  before  his 
departure,  the  so  long-expected  arrangement  with  Nich 
olas.  He  therefore  objected  to  the  difficulties  that  he 
said  Nicholas  and  Randolph  pretended  to  feel  in  remov 
ing  the  attachment  from  my  funds  in  Philadelphia,  with 
out  particular  orders  from  Sanders.  I  said  I  should 
expect  or  coerce  Sanders  to  do  that,  in  virtue  of  the  set 
tlements  I  had  made  with  him  in  Lexington,  whether  Mr. 
Alston  furthered  that  settlement  or  not.  He  then  said 
Nicholas  yesterday  promised  to  have  the  necessary  papers 
ready  last  evening,  but  he  would  have  me  completely 
exonerated  from  the  demand  before  he  did  anything;  to 
which  I,  of  course,  assented.  But,  I  asked,  what  had 
occasioned  the  determination  I  heard  he  had  formed  of 
leaving  town  yesterday  or  to-day?  "0!  the  certainty 
of  the  trials  ending  this  week  had  made  him  desirous  of 
leaving  this  place,  of  which  he  was  heartily  tired,  as  soon 
as  possible,  and  his  anxiety  to  try  to  raise  even  a  part  of 
the  money  for  my  relief  would  the  more  hurry  him  away." 


RUMORS.  361 

He  forgot,  I  suppose,  he  yesterday  told  Nicholas  he  had 
just  received  letters  that  suddenly  called  him  home.  A 
propensity  to  rely  more  on  his  wits  than  his  memory,  is  a 
prominent  trait  in  this  character.  It  would,  then,  have 
answered  no  purpose  to  have  inquired  into  the  fact  of  the 
letters  being  concerned,  rather  than  my  sufferings,  with 
the  period  of  his  journey.  He  could  easily  say,  "  "t  was 
true,  he  had  letters;"  for  he  is  very  circumspect  to  avoid 
changes  upon  his  words,  which  I  took  an  occasion 
again  to-day  to  put  to  the  test  by  observing  to  him,  that 
I  supposed  my  losses  by  Miller's  sale  of  my  effects,  which 
had  been  sacrificed  in  Wood  county,  would  not  be  much 
short  of  §15,000,  which  sum  would  not  replace  two-thirds 
of  my  library,  my  furniture,  instruments,  house-linen,  etc., 
with  all  my  farming-stock  and  implements  of  husbandry, 
for  all  which  I  had  no  other  hope  of  indemnity  but  what 
I  could  derive  from  the  honor  and  resources  of  Col.  Burr 
and  himself;  to  all  of  which  he  was  silent.  But  he  might, 
and  did,  add,  nothing  more  engaged  his  concern  so  much 
as  his  wishes  to  relieve  my  embarrassments.  He  then 
told  me  Col.  Burr  wished  me  to  be  upon  my  guard 
against  spies,  as  he  apprehended  some  had  been  lately 
visiting  me  under  the  mask  of  friendship.  On  asking 
him  whether  he  alluded  to  any  particular  persons,  I  found 
he  had  heard  of  Duane's  visit  to  me  on  Sunday  evening, 
which  was  next  day  in  every  body's  mouth,  and  may  pos 
sibly  have  had  some  share  in  engendering  a  report  which 
as  yet  has  been  only  whispered,  though  it  may  have  stolen 
into  some  of  A.  Burr's  private  audiences.  This  report 
states  that  I  now  see  Burr  in  a  different  light  from  that  in 


362  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

which  I  first  regarded  him,  and  that  my  fellow-prisoner, 
Major  Smith,  is  come  on  determined  to  denounce  Burr, 
and  turn  an  approver.  Alston  did  not  hint  this  rumor  to 
me,  but  I  thought  it  would  be  serviceable  to  the  interests 
of  my  pecuniary  expectations  from  him  to  send  him 
back  to  Burr,  satisfied  of  my  vigilance  and  perseverance 
in  those  duties  of  honor  and  good  faith  which,  if  they 
doubted  in  me,  I  should  never  forget  I  owe  to  myself. 
"Ha!"  said  I,  "you  've  heard  of  Duane's  visit  to  me, 
then ;  would  you  wish  to  see  my  notes  of  what  passed 
between  us?"  "  Yes,"  said  he,  eagerly,  "  very  much  in 
deed."  I  then  read  to  him  the  minutes  I  had  taken  on 
Sunday  evening,  with  which  he  seemed  highly  pleased, 
and  said  they  ought  to  be  published.  To  this  I  told  him 
I  could  not  accede,  though  it  might  seem  to  him  the  more 
necessary  from  some  observations  made  to  me  by  Duane, 
more  than  I  thought  necessary  to  enter  in  my  notes,  of 
which  I  recollected  one,  that  concerned  Alston  himself, 
who  now  seemed  all  anxiety  for  the  disclosure  he  ex 
pected.  But  I  affected  to  attach  little  importance  to  the 
thing,  and  said,  after  no  small  enjoyment  of  his  solicitude 
about  it,  "  't  was  only  that  Government  had  got  posses 
sion  of  one  of  his  letters  to  me."  "  One  of  my  letters!" 
said  he ;  "I  never  wrote  to  you  but  two  upon  business  of 
a  private  nature,  and  any  other  letter  they  can  have  of 
mine  must  be  a  forgery."  "  To  be  sure,"  said  I ;  "or  at 
all  events,  from  the  favorable  course  things  are  now  likely 
to  take,  such  a  letter  could  do  no  harm."  "  But  what  did 
the  rascal,"  continued  he,  "  state  to  be  the  purport  of  the 
letter  ? "  "  Nothing  more,"  said  I,  "  than  proving  that 


COLLOQUY.  363 

you  and  myself  were  equally  involved  in  all  Col.  Burr's 
projects."  He  then  abused  Duane,  repeated  his  wish  my 
notes  were  published,  and  took  leave. 

I  find  I  have  omitted  to  observe,  owing  to  the  hurry 
and  fatigue  I  suffered  the  day  I  arrived  in  this  prison, 
that  Alston,  on  his  first  visit  to  me  that  evening,  acknowl 
edged  the  receipt  of  the  letter  I  had  written  him  from 
Natchez,  containing  a  reprobation  of  his  public  letter  to 
Gov.  Pinkney,  when  he  said,  "  he  felt  now  no  uneasiness 
at  certain  reflections  I  had  therein  made  use  of,  which  he 
knew  proceeded  from  a  warmth  of  temper  natural  to  me 
upon  a  misconception  of  his  motives,  which  he  had  ex 
plained  to  the  satisfaction  (is  it  possible  ?)  of  Col.  Burr." 
To  which  I  answered,  that  the  letter  itself  would  say  it 
was  not  designed  to  excite  any  unpleasant  sensations, 
though  it  was  written  under  impressions  that  could  not 
be  obliterated,  and  that  his  not  answering  my  letter, 
which  was  so  incumbent  on  him,  from  the  nature  of  that 
part  of  it  relating  to  money  matters,  so  irritated  and  con 
vinced  me  that  he  disregarded  my  expectations  from  him, 
arising  from  his  guarantee  for  my  losses  by  my  concern 
with  Col.  Burr  and  himself,  that  I  was  further  led'  to 
declare,  at  Lexington,  that  he  was  as  fully  concerned 
with  Col.  B.  as  myself,  stating  at  the  same  time  to  him  a 
further  motive  for  such  a  declaration,  which  will  be  found 
in  my  notes  of  the  6th  instant.  All  this  he  accepted  very 
kindly,  assuring  me  he  had  written  two  letters  to  me. 
"What!  two!"  yes;  he  not  only  then,  that  is,  on  the 
fourth  instant,  said  two,  but  said  so  again  to-day.  E"ow 
those  who  are  blest  with  his  correspondence,  will  find  he 
is  not  in  the  habit  of  bestowing  two  answers  on  one  letter, 


364  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

especially  when  that  one  has  chiefly  for  its  object  to  bring 
a  demand  upon  him  into  action,  much  less  to  grant  a  sin 
gle  reply  to  a  letter  which,  through  respect  to  his  wife, 
he  might  at  least  acknowledge.  I  allude  to  our  friend 
Harding's  letter  to  him  that  he  confessed  he  had  received, 
but  told  me  on  his  first  visit  it  merely  inclosed  some  papers 
to  him,  and  required  no  answer.  So  the  generous  labors 
of  the  head  and  heart  of  one  of  the  best  men  living  did 
not  deserve  even  the  thanks  of  this  coxcomb.  But  it 
appears  from  all  this,  that  if  his  second  letter  was  in 
answer  to  the  only  one  I  ever  wrote  him,  his  first  was 
occupied  with  some  other  subject ;  and  the  palpable  inter 
est  with  which  he  listened  to  the  late  news  Duane  left 
with  me  for  him,  joined  with  the  motives  that  induced 
him  to  write  the  death-warrant  of  his  character  to  Pink- 
ney,  and  some  late  rumors  of  designs  in  Government,  to 
institute  a  prosecution  against  him  also,  all  leave  little 
room  to  doubt  that  the  prosecutors  have  got  hold  of 
something  he  would  not  like  to  see.  But  if  this  alarm 
will  give  me  hold  upon  him,  to  keep  him  long  enough 
here  to  carry  some  of  his  sincere  wishes  into  execution, 
I  shall  owe  Duane  more  obligations  for  his  visit  than  he 
is  aware  of.  I  received  a  note  from  Prichard,  covering 
the  bill  I  had  drawn  on  Philadelphia  in  his  favor,  which 
was  returned  for  reasons  already  given  in  my  notes  of 
last  Monday.  Behold  me,  then,  without  a  dollar,  except 
the  few  that  remain  of  thirty  Prichard  sent  me  a  fort 
night  since.  On  this  very  bill  I  have  had  my  coat  re 
paired,  my  umbrella  newly  covered,  my  hat  dressed,  and 
my  boots  new-tapped.  But  this  economy  will  not  pay 
my  tavern  bill,  nor  those  of  my  grocer  and  washer- 


APPREHENSION.  365 

woman.  Nor  will  it  restore  to  me  the  only  funds  on 
which  I  depended  for  my  only  care,  the  maintenance  of 
my  family.  My  own  wants  will  never  solicit  the  mantle 
of  charity  to  shelter  them  from  the  pinching  blast  of  ad 
versity,  until  death  shall  lay  the  storm.  Until  then  the 
cry,  even  to  the  heart  of  Mr.  Alston,  pray  spare  a  trifle 
from  your  stock,  to  clothe  my  naked  family,  with  that 
credit  of  which  you  Ve  stripped  it.  In  this  spirit  I  wrote 
him  what  follows  :  "  I  have  just  received  the  inclosed,  by 
which  you  may  convince  Mr.  Nicholas  of  the  unjust  and 
absurd  obstruction  of  my  credit  in  Philadelphia,  by  the 
continuance  of  Mr.  Sanders's  attachment.  Having  no 
other  source  of  pecuniary  supply  to  which  I  can  resort 
for  subsistence  of  my  family,  until  I  can  collect  the  wreck 
of  their  property,  I  await  the  accommodation  of  such 
credit  or  remittances  as  your  dispositions  may  devise  for 
the  relief  of  my  exigences.  Yours,  H.  B."  The  servant 
returned  with  a  verbal  answer,  in  these  four  words — "He 
will  see  him,"  importing  that  Alston  would  see  Nicholas, 
as  if  seeing  N.  will  indemnify  me  for  all  I  have  suffered, 
or  support  my  family.  Alston  told  me  Belknap  has  con 
fessed  he  received  from  Smith  $700  for  me,  which  he 
denied  the  night  he  arrived  on  the  "Island"  from  Ken 
tucky,  the  night  I  left  it. 

WEDNESDAY,  AUGUST  26,  1807. 

The  bird,  I  believe,  has  not  flown  to-day,  but  may  take 
wing,  I  know  not  what  moment.  I  have  neither  seen 
nor  heard  from  him  since  his  verbal  answer  to  my  letter 
of  yesterday.  The  little  animal  has  clapped  its  wings  in 
screaming  essays  toward  the  "  Oaks ;"  but  yet  may  it  re- 


THE    BLENNERHASSETT    PAPERS. 

main  a  little  longer  on  that  egg  it  has  not  yet  hatched, 
for  the  cuckoo  that  laid  it.  Wirt  raised  his  reputation 
yesterday,  as  high  as  McRae  sunk  his  the  day  before. 
The  former,  I  learn,  paid  me  some  compliments.  We 
have  many  visitors,  as  usual,  of  whom  I  shall  only  notice 
Kerr,  who  sat  one  hour  here  this  evening.  Was  cautioned 
by  Dud.  Woodbridge  to  beware  of  Bennet.  But  I  have 
him  secured  by  Tupper,  who  tells  me  he,  Tupper,  will 
support  the  declarations  made  by  Bennet  to  him  and  me, 
on  Bennet's  first  visit  here  to  me.  Major  Smith  is  suffer 
ing  something  of  a  seasoning. 

THURSDAY,  AUGUST  27,  1807. 

Rose  at  a  quarter  past  5  this  morning,  to  walk  in  the 
yard,  as  I  had  agreed  with  Major  Smith  last  night;  but 
he  rested  badly,  and  had  a  profuse  perspiration  when  I 
called  upon  him,  which  determined  him,  with  my  advice, 
to  stay  in  bed.  So  I  walked  for  an  hour  alone,  under  a 
disagreeable  fog,  with  a  view  to  try  whether  breathing  so 
long  another,  if  not  a  better,  air  than  that  of  my  room 
might  not  enable  me  to  escape  to-day  a  periodical  head 
ache,  with  some  fever,  we  both  complain  of  about  2 
o'clock  every  day  since  Sunday,  and  of  which  we  are  not 
free  some  nights,  before  we  go  to  bed.  Young  Swartwout 
called  upon  us  with  Alston.  The  latter  called  me  out  to 
tell  me  things  will  be  completed  to-day  with  Nicholas, 
from  whom  h.e  will  get  the  original  bills  on  which  the 
attachment  was  served  on  the  house  of  J.  S.  Lewis  &  Co., 
as  my  garnishees,  by  which,  I  suppose,  I  can  again  open 
the  channel  of  my  credit  which  the  attachment  has  so 
long  shut  up  in  Philadelphia.  He  assures  me  Luckett's 


MR.    DUNCAN.  367 

account  is  not  admitted  to  be  correct  by  Burr,  and  that  I 
shall  not  be  liable  for  the  bill  of  $2,500  with  my  indorse 
ment  in  Luckett's  hands.  He  has  also  offered  me  a  draft 
at  sight  on  Charleston,  for  the  bill  returned  me  by  Prich- 
ard.  He  concluded  his  money  business  with  me  this 
morning,  by  telling  me  Col.  Burr  will  be  soon  in  cash, 
having  concluded  some  financial  arrangements  with  a 
Mr.  Pollock,  who  is  very  rich.  I  must  not  forget,  how 
ever,  he  also  told  me  his  settling  both  Sanders's  and  Mil 
ler's  claims,  if  the  latter  will  come  into  the  arrangement, 
will,  with  the  incidental  charges,  require  payments  by 
him  to  the  amount  of  $16,000 ;  so  that  after  settling  San 
ders's  claim,  if  Miller  won't  settle  in  the  same  way,  he  has 
proposed  to  take  up  his  present  letter  of  guarantee  and 
give  me  another  to  indemnify  me  for  what  Miller  may  be 
entitled  to  recover  of  me,  to  which  I  have  assented.  Mr. 
Alston  has  found  Wirt,  though  not  without  merit,  so  far 
as  he  was  figurative,  monotonous,  with  bad  or  no  action, 
and  better  recommended  by  the  foil  McRae  afforded  him 
than  any  interest  his  late  essay  could  inspire.  He  seems 
to-day  to  partake  of  apprehensions  entertained  by  Col. 
Burr's  friends,  that  the  Chief  Justice  may  yield  to  want 
of  energy,  in  ruling  all  the  points  now  before  him,  as  the 
able  efforts  of  the  counsel  for  the  defense  can  not  fail  to 
prove  the  law  requires.  Surely,  if  the  law  has  not  been 
mistaken  on  the  side  of  the  accused,  the  calumny  which 
has  been  propagated  through  the  crowd,  of  Burr's  emis 
saries  having  made  an  attempt  to  take  off  Mr.  Duncan 
by  laudanum,  would  tend  to  strengthen  rather  the  en 
ergies  of  such  a  head  and  heart  as  the  Chief  Justice  is 
probably  blessed  with.  This-  Duncan  has  been  brought 


368  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

here,  I  am  told,  to  prove  a  negative ;  namely,  that  "Wil 
kinson  is  not  a  Spanish  officer  or  pensioner.  Duane  has 
kept  his  promise  to  abandon  the  field  yesterday.  I  find 
to-day  he  is  an  expert  angler,  and  adapts  his  flies  and 
tackling  not  only  to  the  waters  and  seasons  of  his  choice, 
but  to  that  kind  of  fish  that  are  the  objects  of  his  sport; 
at  least,  the  first  cast  of  his  line  has  caught  that  wary  fish, 
the  natural  history  of  which  has  engaged  so  much  of 
these  notes.  I  have  been  accordingly  informed,  a  formal 
demand  has  been  made  upon  Hay  to  declare  whether  tire 
Government  or  himself  possess  a  certain  letter,  of  which 
a  sketch  has  been  given  here  the  25th  instant.  The  scene 
that  this  interview  probably  presented  will,  I  know  not 
how  long,  be  reserved  for  recital  in  the  secret  mysteries 
of  the  prosecution.  Alston,  on  his  part,  gave  me  too 
sublime  a  rehearsal  of  the  dignity  and  force  with  which 
he  launched  the  bolts  of  his  defiance  on  all  the  Titans  of 
Virginia,  for  me  to  presume  to  imitate  it  in  these  memo 
randa,  without  incurring  the  suspicion  at  least  of  being 
disposed  to  burlesque  it.  The  Titan  Hay,  however,  he 
assured  me,  he  overwhelmed  with  mountains  of  con 
sternation  and  dismay ;  in  short,  the  fact  was  denied,  and 
what  was  very  extraordinary,  as  the  like  never  happened 
before,  imprecations  of  mendacity,  on  the  fame  of  Col. 
Duane,  were  endured  with  patience  by  Jefferson's  attor 
ney.  The  existence,  however,  of  the  letter,  be  it  remem 
bered,  is  as  yet  no  more  disproved  than  A.'s  title  to 
Agrestis  is  established.  "When  Alston  observed  to  me, 
to-day,  he  would  give  me  a  new  guarantee  against  the 
amount  of  Miller's  recovery,  I  said,  that  would  be  neces 
sary  for  two  purposes  ;  first,  for  the  purpose  of  transferring 


TUPPER'S  SONG.  369 

it,  as  I  had  the  former  one,  to  Sanders,  or  raising  money 
on  it,  as  I  had  nothing  else  left  to  pledge ;  secondly,  for 
the  benefit  of  my  family,  in  the  event  of  my  death,  which 
I  thought  very  probably  might  soon  happen.  I  could  see 
well  enough  to  discern  a  pointed  attention  on  his  part  to 
the  last  reason.  He  had  on  a  former  occasion  observed, 
when  I  assured  him  I  should  publicly  expose  the  perfidy 
and  dishonor  of  Graham  and  the  Hendersons,  at  all 
hazards,  be  the  issue  of  these  trials  what  it  might,  "  that 
my  short  sight  would  lay  me  under  very  unfair  disadvan 
tages  ; "  to  which  I  answered,  "  I  should  know  how  to 
accommpdate  the  distance  to  the  extent  of  my  sight ; " 
and,  to-day,  he  hoped  with  earnestness  that  I  would  not 
think  on  any  gloomy  subject  to  cloud  the  prospect  of 
many  happy  years  I  shall  yet  enjoy.  This  was  not  his 
language,  but  his  precise  meaning ;  how  far  it  was  sin 
cere  may  be  imagined  from  his  talking  in  this  way,  after 
he  returned  me  what  another  man  might  have  kept,  my 
letter  given  here  the  25th  instant,  without  lisping  a  sylla 
ble  on  the  exposure  I  made  to  him  in  that  letter  of  my 
second  humiliation  before  his  wealth,  to  solicit  an  atom 
from  the  heap  to  assuage  the  distress  he  is  bound  to 
relieve.  Be  it  remembered,  he  has  never  questioned  de 
mands  I  made  upon  him,  independent  of  his  first  guaran 
tee  for  disbursements  I  have  made  for  Col.  Burr,  to  be 
tween  four  and  five  thousand  dollars,  in  a  letter  of  which 
he  acknowledged  the  receipt  on  the  4th  instant,  any  more 
than  statements  of  other  losses,  an  indemnity  for  which, 
when  ascertained,  will  be  sought  in  the  honor  and  re 
sources  of  Col.  Burr  and  himself.  Tupper  has  promised 

me  a  copy  of  his  song  of  the  "  Battle  of  the  Boats,"  and 
24 


870  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

tells  me  the  Hendersons  now  affect  that  they  are  obliged 
to  testify  against  me.  "When  we  recollect  their  menaces 
in  Wood  county  to  denounce  me,  after  they  had  prosti 
tuted  their  honor  to  a  spy,  we  must  rather  believe  they 
regret  to  testify  against  that  letter  Sandy  wrote  his 
father,  soliciting  his  consent  to  his  son's  espousing  the 
principles  and  conduct,  I  confidentially  recommended  to 
them,  which  letter  will  show  what  treason  I  recommend 
ed  or  was  engaged  in.  Robison  and  others  tell  us,  this 
evening,  Hay  had  the  insolence  to  insinuate  to-day,  to 
the  Chief  Justice,  an  imp'eachment,  if  he  did  not  over 
rule  all  the  points  now  before  the  Court.  Does  the  Chief 
Justice  want  energy  at  such  a  crisis  to  declare  the  law? 
surely  this  insult  should  give  it  to  him.  Prichard  assures 
me  Burr,  on  his  acquittal,  will  not  soon  leave  this  town. 
Civil  demands  upon  him  will  gather  round  him  from  all 
quarters,  to  a  far  greater  amount  than  he  can  find  bail 
for,  if  Pollock,  or  some  other  preserving  angel,  does  not 
shield  him  from  this  new  host.  Then,  indeed,  will  he 
fall  more  inglorious  than  from  a  gibbet.  I  am  very 
unwell  this  evening,  suffering  under  a  return  of  the  like 
oppressive  weather  I  endured  during  the  first  fortnight 
of  my  imprisonment. 

SATURDAY,  AUGUST  29,  1807. 

I  awoke  yesterday  morning  with  a  continuance  of  the 
indisposition  under  which  I  had  labored  on  Thursday 
evening.  I  was  affected  with  much  fever  and  racking 
headache,  to  a  degree  of  severity  that  compelled  me  to 
return  to  bed  before  breakfast,  after  taking  three  or  four 
grains  of  calomel.  Dud.  Woodbridge  called  me  aside 


APOLOGY.  371 

this  morning  to  complain  that  the  "  Enquirer  "  has  mis 
represented  the  evidence  he  gave  last  Wednesday.  He 
said  he  had  been  to  the  printer  on  the  subject.  I  could 
not  understand  distinctly,  however,  what  particular  fact 
had  been  misstated.  He  observed  to  me  that  he  was  at  a 
loss  to  conceive  the  object  of  the  counsel  on  both  sides, 
examining  him  upon  matters  altogether  irrelevant  to  the 
questions  before  the  Court;  such  as,  his  opinion  of  my 
talents  and  studies,  his  knowledge  of  the  amount  of  my 
property,  and  particularly  the  value  of  my  place  on  the 
Ohio.  But  he  supposed  the  drift  of  Col.  Burr  was  to 
show  that  I  could  in  no  sense  be  regarded  as  a  military 
character.  He  apologized  for  his  having  said  that  "  I 
had  more  other  sense  than  common  sense,"  an  expression 
which  he  said  escaped  him  in  the  hurry  and  warmth  of 
his  examination.  I  accepted  this  explanation,  but  wished 
him  to  inform  me  what  motive  the  counsel  could  have  to 
exhibit  me  to  the  jury  as  a  character  less  skilled  in  the 
ordinary  affairs  of  life  than  common  men?  He  now 
stated  to  me,  that  Burr's  special  confidants,  who  formerly 
sought  his  company  here,  of  late,  seemed  rather  inclined 
to  avoid  him,  for  which  he  was  at  a  loss  to  account ;  but 
that,  while  he  boarded  in  the  same  house  with  Bollman, 
this  gentleman  had  devoted  much  pains  to  learn  from 
him  all  he  could  of  my  character,  by  which,  having  ex 
tracted  from  him  an  opinion  that  I  was  eccentric,  Boll 
man,  who  was  informed  of  the  testimony  he  had  given 
before  the  grand  jury,  regretted  very  much  that  D.  Wood- 
bridge  had  not  informed  that  body  of  the  circumstance. 
All  this  is  mysterious  to  me,  and  will  remain  so  until  I 
can  explore  the  matter  by  opportunities  I  shall  not  fail  to 


372  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

seek.  I  have  had  a  large  draft  upon  my  little  funds,  of 
$2.55  for  a  large  packet  from  Philadelphia,  covering  the 
following  inclosures  ;  namely,  two  letters  from  Elliott  and 
another  from  his  wife,  with  the  seal  cut  open,  and  several 
others  of  importance.  Burr  yesterday  informed  me,  by 
note,  he  had  an  unsettled  account  with  Luckett,  who  holds 
one  of  his  drafts  for  $25,  with  my  indorsement,  which  it 
would  gratify  him  much  if  I  could  discharge  :  but  Alston, 
two  or  three  days  ago,  assured  me  Luckett's  account  was 
not  allowed,  and  I  should  not  be  called  upon  to  pay  this 
draft.  Will  these  adventurers  never  meet  but  in  du 
plicity  ?  Mr.  Alston  has  not  appeared  to  me  since  Thurs 
day;  he  is  probably  engrossed  to-day  by  Martin's  con 
cluding  speech,  in  reply  upon  the  points  now  before  the 
Court.  Wood,  this  morning,  gave  me  some  information, 
which,  if  true,  proves  Burr  as  bad  a  general  out  of  the 
field  as  I  have  no  doubt  he  would  prove  in  it.  Speaking 
of  several  characters  that  Burr  had  subpoenaed  from  Ken 
tucky,  I  inquired,  what  benefit  he  expected  to  derive  fr^>m 
John  Brown,  who  I  heard  had  arrived  ?  "  He  can  expect 
none  from  him,"  said  Wood ;  "  he  will  find  Brown  more 
Wilkinson's  friend  than  his."  "  Brown  is  as  truly  pen 
sioned  as  Sebastian  was  by  the  Spanish  Government ;" 
and  Col.  Burr  must  have  strangely  overrated  his  own 
powers,  if  he  ever  thought  that  these  men  would  have 
joined  him  in  any  thing  but  words  against  Spain,  while 
he  might  with  the  greatest  ease,  when  he  was  in  Ken 
tucky,  have  enlisted  Daveiss  and  the  whole  Marshall 
party  in  his  interest.  "Daveiss  and  Dr.  Marshall,"  he 
added,  "  would  gladly  have  embarked  in  all  or  any  of  his 
speculations;  they  had  no  Spanish  ties  to  break,  and 


SEBASTIAN.  373 

Daviess  instituted  the  first  proceedings  against  him,  partly 
from  a  sense  of  neglect  on  the  part  of  Burr,  and  through 
enmity  to  the  President,  who  he  fully  believed  was  con 
cerned  with  Burr,  or  connived  at  his  operations.  Be 
these  things  as  they  may,  true  or  false,  as  "Wood  is  more 
or  less  deserving  of  credit — it  should  be  remembered  that 
"Wood  once  possessed  the  confidence  of  the  Marshall  fac 
tion,  by  which  he  had  an  opportunity  of  knowing  their 
dispositions — that  however  unprincipled  he  may  have 
proved  in  other  instances,  he  still  adheres  to  the  denunci 
ations  he  published  in  the  "  Western  World,"  which  have 
already  ruined  Sebastian,  and  may  yet  lead  to  the  con 
viction  of  other  culprits,  and  that  as  he  has  now  aban 
doned  all  concern  with  politics  and  newspapers,  save  so 
far  as  he  can  be  serviceable  to  Burr,  he  can  have  no  cal 
culable  interest  in  depreciating  the  views  or  talents  of  any 
of  the  persons  he  has  reflected  upon.  But  the  present 
trial  can  not  fail  to  furnish  ample  testimony,  if  not  to  the 
guilt,  at  least  to  the  defect  of  every  talent,  under  the  as 
sumption  of  which  this  giddy  adventurer  has  seduced  so 
many  followers  of  riper  experience  and  better  judgment 
than  myself.  You  were  right,  therefore,  honest  Hay,  in 
observing  the  other  day  to  Woodbridge,  while  expressing 
your  concern  for  my  situation.  "  that  I  must  now  think 
Burr  had  duped  me ; "  but  you  were  wrong  in  supposing 

I  am  indebted  to  you  for  the  discovery ;  I  am  possessed 
of  it  these  nine  months.     I  am  still  without  relief  of  my 
anxiety  for  my  poor  family.     I  pray  the  mercy  of  Heaven 
to  prepare  me  for  the  first  news  I  shall  hear  from  them. 

II  o'clock,  P.  M. 


374  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

SUNDAY,  AUGUST  30,  1807. 

I  have  heard  this  morning  from  Ellis,  that  General 
Jackson  is  hourly  expected  in  town,  and  Ashley's  arrival 
also  looked  for,  this  evening  or  to-morrow.  If  by  either 
of  these  chances  I  shall  be  blessed  with  no  disastrous 
news  of  my  family,  or  even  with  a  revival  of  those  hopes 
that  I  have  too  long  brooded  upon,  of  once  more  behold 
ing  the  picture  of  my  beloved  wife,  how  great  a  load  of 
care  my  hours  of  sorrow  will  throw  ofi'.  I  trust  Almighty 
God  will  first. ordain  I  shall  bow  with  devout  gratitude 
before  I  bound  in  levity  or  transports,  to  which  I  have 
so  long  been  a  stranger;  or,  if  I  idly  dream,  to  wake 
perhaps  to  realities  of  sad  reverse,  then  let  me  first 
invoke  the  Divine  mercy,  to  retain  me  faithful  to  all  my 
duties,  in  every  task  allotted  to  my  destiny.  I  had  a  very 
interesting  conversation  this  morning  with  John  Banks 
and  Mercer,  and  both  eagerly  charged  themselves  with 
the  care  of  sending  me  good  soup ;  and  as  my  late  sick 
ness  induced  me  at  their  desire  to  complain  of  the  quality 
of  necessaries  sent  from  the  tavern,  in  pursuance  of 
which,  soon  after,  Mercer  left  me  a  present  of  refresh 
ments  of  fruit  and  good  butter,  and  fine  calves-feet  jelly, 
was  sent  in  ice  by  Mrs.  Gamble.  The  conversation,  of 
course,  had  no  other  object  so  natural  to  engage  our  in 
terest  as  a  comparison  of  the  foundation  of  different  con 
jectures  respecting  the  decision  the  Chief  Justice  will 
deliver  to-morrow  on  those  points  which  have  so  long 
balanced  this  town  between  law  and  faction,  and  will  so 
much  longer  poise  the  trembling  passions  of  the  distant 
multitude  on  the  same  pivot.  Each  of  us  was  not  with- 


BANKS.  375 

out  an  inuendo,  or  an  anecdote,  of  no  small  interest  to 
Major  Smith,  who,  I  was  happy  to  see,  continued  of  the 
party.  My  hints  were  thrown  out  only  in  general  terms, 
alluding  to  the  inferences  I  had  endeavored  to  draw  from 
the  intelligence  Wood  yesterday  gave  me.  Mercer,  who, 
it  is  said,  is  much  enamored  of  a  very  accomplished 
young  lady,  a  relation  of  the  Chief  Justice,  ably  exerted 
his  happy  address  for  some  time,  not  indeed  to  confirm 
the  sense  Banks  and  myself  professed  we  so  fully  enter 
tained  of  General  Marshall's  high  talents,  deep  erudition 
and  amiable  virtues,  but  to  discharge  our  apprehensions 
of  some  doubts  we  said  we  lamented  they  had  imbibed, 
that  the  Chief  Justice  would  possess  all  the  energy  that 
would  be  necessary  to  reconcile  the  opinion  he  had  deliv 
ered  on  the  part  of  the  Supreme  Court  in  the  case  of 
Bollman  and  Swartwout,  with  such  another  as  would  be 
required  of  him  to  establish  the  most  material  of  all  the 
points  now  before  him.  Mercer  insinuated  he  had  oppor 
tunities  from  whence  he  could  deduce  a  different  antici 
pation.  But  neither  Banks  nor  myself  could  hereby 
perceive  his  conjectures  to  be  better  warranted  than  our 
own.  Banks  was  now  led,  after  indulging  himself  with 
some  general  reflections  on  the  difficulty  and  delicacy  of 
the  Chief  Justice's  present  dilemma,  in  which  we  all 
concurred,  to  tell  us  an  anecdote,  with  which  I  was  sur 
prised  to  find  Mercer  unacquainted,  from  whence  Banks 
indeed  did  not  infer  that  the  Chief  Justice  will,  on  the 
present  occasion,  shrink  from  his  duty,  as  an  able  judge 
or  a  virtuous  patriot,  to  avert  the  revenge  of  an  unprinci 
pled  government,  or  avoid  other  trials  menaced,  and 
preparing  for  himself  by  its  wretched  partisans,  but  he 


376  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

lamented,  and  certainly  our  choicest  sympathies  harmo 
nized  witL  his  feelings,  that  the  facts  he  had  mentioned, 
of  which  he  vouched  the  verity,  referring  Mercer  to  the 
office  and  file  of  the  Argus,  had  already  proved  that  the 
Chief  Justice  had  explained  or  accommodated  his  en 
ergies  on  the  bench  in  conformity  to  the  views  of  his 
enemies,  by  ordering  or  permitting  in  his  private  character 
something  to  be  inserted  in  the  Argus,  in  the  form  of  an 
apology  to,  or  exculpation  of,  Wilkinson,  purporting  to 
contravene,  but  altogether  inconsistent  with,  the  tenor  or 
expressions  of  declarations  of  opinions  he,  as  a  judge, 
had  delived  on  the  bench.  This  will,  no  doubt,  engage 
Mercer's  interest  and  anxiety  so  much  that  I  will,  to-day, 
add  not  a  word  to  what  I  have  already  said,  on  a  discov 
ery  that  has  not  a  little  depressed  me.  Yet  I  am  certain, 
whatever  dust  or  insects  may  have  sought  the  Judge's 
robes  while  off  his  back,  none  will  venture  to  appear 
upon  the  ermine  that  bedecks  his  person.  Mercer  and 
Banks  gave  me  not  less  than  two  hours  of  their  company, 
which,  whether  considered  with  regard  to  the  elegance 
and  interest  of  Mercer's  conversation,  or  the  friendly 
concern  testified  by  Banks  for  the  issue  of  the  trial,  con 
stituted  one  of  the  most  agreeable  visits  I  have  received 
since  my  imprisonment.  Mercer  promised  to  bring  me  the 
earliest  tidings  of  the  decision  to-morrow.  Alston  is  too 
much  occupied  to  call  upon  me,  when  such  an  effort  is 
not  indispensable. 

The  influenza  has  arrived  here,  and  found  its  way  into 
half  the  families  of  the  town.  I  am  severely  affected 
with  it ;  this  is  the  third  illness  I  have  had  here,  which 
has  compelled  me  to  resort  to  medicine.  As  we  were 


LUTHER   MARTIN.  377 

chatting  over  some  of  Mrs.  Gamble's  fruit  after  dinner, 
in  came  the  whole  rear-guard  of  Burr's  forensic  army — I 
mean  the  celebrated  Luther  Martin,  who  yesterday  con 
cluded  his  fourteen  hours'  speech.  His  visit  was  to  Major 
Smith ;  but  he  took  me  by  the  hand,  saying,  there  was 
no  need  of  an  introduction.  I  was  too  much  interested 
by  the  little  I  had  seen,  and  the  great  things  I  had  heard, 
of  this  man's  powers  and  passions  not  to  improve  the 
present  opportunity  to  survey  him  in  every  light  the 
length  of  his  visit  would  permit.  I  accordingly  recom 
mended  our  brandy  as  considered  superior,  placing  a  pint 
tumbler  before  him.  !N"o  ceremonies  retarded  the  liba 
tion  ;  no  inquiries  solicited  him  on  any  subject,  until 
apprehensions  of  his  withdrawing  suggested  some  topic 
to  quiet  him  on  his  seat.  Were  I  now  to  mention  only 
the  subjects  of  law,  politics,  news,  etc.,  on  which  he  de 
scanted,  I  should  not  be  believed  when  I  had  said  his 
visit  did  not  exceed  thirty-five  minutes.  I  imagine  a  man 
capable,  in  that  space  of  time,  to  deliver  some  account  of 
an  entire  week's  proceedings  in  the  trial,  with  extracts 
from  memory  of  several  speeches  on  both  sides,  including 
long  ones  from  his  own,  to  recite  half  columns,  verbatim, 
of  a  series  of  papers  of  which  he  said  he  is  the  author, 
under  the  signature  of  "  Investigator,"  to  caricature  Jef 
ferson,  give  the  history  of  his  acquaintance  with  Burr, 
expatiate  on  his  virtues  and  sufferings,  maintain  his  credit, 
embellish  his  fame,  and  intersperse  the  whole  with  sen 
tentious  reprobations  and  praises  of  other  characters. 
Some  estimate,  with  these  preparations,  may  be  formed 
of  this  man's  powers,  which  are  yet  shackled  by  great 
embarrassment  of  delivery.  In  this  his  manner  is  rude, 


373  THE    BLENNERIIASSETT    PAPERS. 

and  his  language  ungrammaiical,  which  is  cruelly  aggra 
vated  upon  his  hearers  by  the  verbosity  and  repetitions 
of  his  style.  With  the  warmest  passions  that  hurry  him 
like  a  torrent  over  those  characters  or  topics  of  his  con 
versation  that  lie  most  in  the  way  of  their  course,  he  has 
by  practice  acquired  the  faculty  of  curbing  his  feelings, 
while  he  never  suffers  to  charge  the  enemy  until  broken 
by  the  superior  numbers  of  his  arguments  and  authorities, 
by  which  he  always  outflanks  him ;  then  he  lets  loose  the 
reserve  upon  the  center  with  redoubled  impetuosity.  Yet 
fancy  has  been  as  much  denied  to  his  mind  as  grace  to 
his  person  or  habits.  These  are  gross,  and  incapable  of 
restraint,  even  on  the  most  solemn  public  occasions. 
Hence  his  invectives  are  rather  coarse  than  pointed ; 
his  eulogiums  more  fulsome  than  pathetic.  In  short,  my 
amiable  young  friend  Mercer,  in  his  accustomed  classical 
neatness,  gives  me  every  trait  of  his  portrait,  when  in  one 
word  he  calls  him  the  "  Thersites  of  the  law."  Yet, 
though  Mr.  M.  did  not  intend  to  sit  here  to  so  bad  an 
artist,  he  has  literally  promised  me  his  portrait  by  a  bet 
ter  hand?  and  I  believe  he  is  not  without  mShy  moral 
good  qualities,  not  very  inconsistent  with  the  sketch  I 
have  attempted  of  his  character.  I  have  no  doubt  he  is 
unrivaled  for  zeal  in  the  service  of  his  friends,  while  he 
retains  them  from  the  concern  with  which  he  spoke  of 
Burr's  financial  difficulties,  declaring  his  friend  could  find 
security  in  Baltimore  for  $100,000,  which  I  doubt,  though 
I  do  not  at  all  question  Martin,  as  he  said  so,  would  be 
his  bail  for  $10,000.  I  regret  to  find  Smith  neglected,  not 
only  by  Burr,  but  Burr's  satellites.  I  asked  Martin  if  the 
prosecutors  won't  succeed,  as  I  predicted  by  letter  to  B., 


INDISPOSITION.  379 

before  I  got  here  to  put  him  upon  a  defense  on  the  trea 
son  bill,  that  will  nearly  amount  to  a  confession  of  the 
misdemeanor?  I  think  this  has  actually  happened.  Mar 
tin  thought  that  because  Burr  alleges  he  expected  war 
between  Spain  and  the  United  States,  his  expedition  was 
lawful.  But  may  not  a  jury  think  Burr  did  not  expect 
the  war,  and  find  their  verdict  then  on  the  confession  ? 

MONDAY,  AUGUST  31,  1807. 

I  suffered  total  privation  of  sleep  last  night,  by  the  un 
remitting  severity  of  my  cough.  This  is  the  most 
oppressive  day  I  have  yet  endured  in  this  place,  and  my 
lassitude  was  so  great,  that  after  seeing  Strickland,  who, 
I  am  glad  to  hear,  sets  out  for  Natchez  about  Saturday,  I 
read  for  two  hours,  but  was  obliged  to  go  to  bed,  where 
I  slept  until  awaked  by  Mercer,  with  a  report  of  the 
Chief  Justice's  opinion,  stating,  in  substance,  that  all  the 
points  of  so  much  expectation  had  been  established  in 
favor  of  the  accused,  and  my  indictment  virtually  got  rid 
of,  by  the  Judge's  opinion,  that  the  evidence  adduced  to 
prove  the  overt  acts  did  not  prove  such  an  assemblage  as 
the  law  required  to  constitute  a  traitorous  one.  Mercer 
took  much  pains  to  state  every  detail  his  memory  could 
suggest ;  but  I  was  little  revived  with  the  news.  I  have 
yet  too  many  other  trials  to  pass.  The  Court  adjourned 
to  six  o'clock  this  evening,  when  the  prosecutors  are  to 
be  prepared  to  state  the  course  they  will  now  pursue. 
The  result  I  shall  learn  to-morrow  morning,  and  be 
thereby  probably  enabled  to  look  to  the  period  of  my 
imprisonment,  When  I  shall  have  access  to  Burr  and 
Alston,  it  will  be  my  fault  if  I  do  not  see  them  when  I 


380  THE  BLEXXERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

ought.  My  chest  is  very  sore;  I  will  take  some  medicine, 
and  endeavor  to  sleep,  after  first  offering  up  my  cares  and 
prayers  to  Heaven  for  my  wife  and  boys. 

TUESDAY,  SEPTEMBER  1,  1807. 

This  morning  I  find  my  influenza  much  abated  by  the 
good  effects  of  the  medicine  I  took  last  night.  Visited, 
as  usual,  by  a  variety  of  persons,  before  and  after  the  ad 
journment  of  the  Court,  by  whom  we  learn,  Hay  observed, 
with  an  affectation  of  terseness,  that  he  had  examined 
the  opinion  of  the  Court,  and  had  no  further  arguments 
or  evidence  to  offer,  by  which  I  should  understand  he 
meant  to  envelop  in  uncertainty  the  course  the  prose 
cutors  will  now  pursue,  of  which  no  conjecture  can  be 
formed  before  to-morrow.  A  diversity  of  opinions,  how 
ever,  seems  already  to  dissect  the  speculations  of  the 
prosecutors ;  some  supposing  all  the  indictments  will  be 
abandoned  by  nolle-prosequis ;  others,  that  Burr  will  be 
proceeded  against  immediately  on  the  misdemeanor ;  and 
some  more,  that  a  motion  will  be  made  to  have  him  sent 
to  the  District  of  Kentucky,  where  things  may  work 
more  favorably  to  convict  him  of  overt  acts,  suggested  to 
have  been  committed  by  him  at  the  mouth  of  Cumber 
land  river ;  while,  on  the  other  hand,  it  is  said,  Burr  will 
to-morrow  move  for  nothing  less  than  to  be  discharged 
from  the  indictment  for  the  misdemeanor.  But  this 
seems  to  me  too  bold  a  dash  on  the  part  of  the  accused. 
I  should  rather  presume,  on  the  contrary,  that  the  Judge 
would  allow  the  prosecutors  all  the  latitude  of  discretion 
they  may  desire  in  adducing  evidence  to  prove  that  de 
gree  or  probability  of  guilt  that  may  induce  the  Court  to 


ARGUMENTATION.  381 

transmit  the  accused  to  another  district,  from  which  they 
had  precluded  themselves  by  the  form  in  which  they  had 
framed  the  indictment  for  treason.  Yet  I  can  not  "believe 
the  Chief  Justice  will  ever  say,  a  man  once  put  in  jeop 
ardy  of  life  in  one  district  for  treason,  charged  to  have 
"been  therein  committed  and  acquitted  thereof,  may  after 
ward  be  put  to  answer  charges  of  other  overt  acts  of  the 
same  treason  in  another  district.  Though  a  man  may  be 
responsible  to  the  law,  in  twelve  districts  severally,  for  a 
distinct  treason  committed  in  each,  provided  the  animus 
or  design  quo  (with  which)  he  sought  his  object  by  the  overt 
acts  in  each  be  proven  to  have  operated  the  overt  acts,  as 
their  immediate  preceding  motive,  within  the  district 
where  they  are  laid  in  the  indictment  to  have  been  com 
mitted.  Thus,  a  man  may  successively  meditate,  and 
mentally  organize  or  arrange,  eleven  separate  treasons,  iu 
as  many  States,  the  execution  of  all  which  he  may  aban 
don  ;  but  finally,  in  a  twelfth,  he  may  attempt  to  reduce 
his  project  into  action.  But  evidence  of  overt  acts  in  the 
last  State  can  not  borrow  evidence  of  the  design  from  any 
of  the  former  to  complete  his  crime.  The  jury,  I  hope, 
have  to-day  evinced  more  of  caprice  than  party  spirit,  by 
affecting  to  bring  in  something  like  a  special  verdict  of 
acquittal.  It  will,  however,  be  entered  generally  on  the 
record.  Burr  has  written  to  me  to  solicit  Alston  to  as 
sume  the  amount  of  the  bill  Luckett  holds,  and  felicitates 
me  on  the  events  of  yesterday.  I  have  gratified  Luckett 
with  a  letter  to  that  effect  to  Alston,  whom  I  have  not 
seen  since  Thursday. 


382  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

WEDNESDAY,  SEPTEMBER  2,  1807. 

My  cough  still  causing  me  some  loss  of  rest,  I  had  not 
risen  this  morning  before  seven,  when  I  was  visited  by 
Wickham  and  Botts.  They  staid  about  fifteen  minutes, 
and  called  to  acquaint  me  they  meant  to-morrow  to  offer 
the  special  plea  to  my  indictment,  on  which  account  they 
had  come  to  invite  me  to  visit  the  folks  at  the  capitol. 
They  told  me  Burr  was  not  solicitous  about  his  discharge, 
which  they  thought  would  not  take  place  for  three  or 
four  days.  They  apprehended  an  attempt  would  be  made 
to  have  us  all  transmitted  to  the  Kentucky  or  other  dis 
tricts,  which  they  did  not  appear  to  think  would  prevail. 
After  breakfast,  being  very  languid,  we  did  nothing  but 
read  until  a  little  after  noon,  when  a  Deputy  Marshal  un 
expectedly  roused  us  into  action,  by  a  summons  to  attend 
the  Court.  We  dressed  in  five  minutes,  and  accompanied 
the  officer  in  a  distressing  warm  walk.  We  did  not  re 
turn  till  the  Court  adjourned,  about  half-past  four.  On 
our  arrival,  the  Court  seemed  disengaged,  as  if  it  had 
been  waiting  for  us.  During  this  pause  I  could  only  col 
lect  from  Botts,  that  some  motion  was  before  the  Court, 
which  he  had  not  time  to  explain,  before  Hay  rose  to  ob 
serve,  that  as  Major  Smith  and  myself  were  present,  and 
as  we  were  similarly  circumstanced  with  A.  Burr,  the 
same  course  should  be  pursued  with  us  all.  This  called 
up  Botts,  who  was  followed  by  Wickham,  both  in  very 
able  arguments,  contending  that  our  cases  were  totally 
separate  and  distinct  from  Burr's ;  the  latter  not  being 
now,  on  account  of  his  acquittal  of  the  treason,  legally 
present  before  the  Court ;  the  only  proper  means  to  bring 


him  there,  to  answer  to  the  indictment  for  the  misde 
meanor,  being,  by  summons  or  venire  facias,  according  to 
the  laws  and  practice  of  Virginia,  where  process  of  capias 
is  not  allowed  for  any  offense  less  than  capital.  Burr 
said  he  was  ready  to  enter  an  appearance  to  the  indict 
ment  for  the  misdemeanor,  insisting,  until  he  did  so,  he 
was  not  legally  in  court  on  that  charge;  from  whence  I 
inferred,  that  the  motion  made  before  my  arrival  was 
probably  for  his  discharge  under  the  proclamation  that 
should  have  ensued,  on  recording  the  verdict  yesterday 
of  his  acquittal.  Wickham  and  Botts  supported  their 
arguments  with  not  only  English  and  Federal  authorities, 
but  with  the  doctrines  of  Hay  himself,  delivered  by  him 
in  his  evidence  on  Chase's  trial,  which  they  dressed  up  in 
such  comments  and  strictures  as  exhibited  Hay  the  most 
bewildered  spectacle  of  confusion  and  mortification  I 
ever  saw  exposed  to  a  public  assembly.  The  Chief  Justice 
said  he  should  proceed  to  assign  counsel  to  Major  Smith 
— for  which  purpose  the  latter  got  me  to  write  a  letter 
for  him  yesterday — if  the  counsel  of  the  United  States 
meant  to  proceed  against  him  on  his  treason  bill,  to  which 
Hay  answered,  "  it  would  be  unnecessary,  he  believed." 
The  Judge  then  observed,  that  the  arguments  would 
require  his  postponing  his  opinion  until  to-morrow  morn 
ing.  After  the  Court  was  adjourned,  Burr  and  ourselves 
were  detained  about  ten  minutes  by  the  absence  of  the 
Marshal  and  his  deputies,  who  had  stepped  aside  some 
where  out  of  my  sight,  I  believe,  upon  some  consultation 
respecting  the  expense  of  Burr's  guard  until  to-morrow ; 
for  I  soon  heard  Burr  tell  Botts  he  would  pay  the  ex 
pense  himself.  The  guard  over  him,  at  his  present 


384  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

quarters,  has  hitherto  cost  the  United  States  seven  dollars 
a  day,  which,  it  is  now  understood,  he  must  pay  himself 
until  discharged,  since  his  life  has  been  redeemed  from 
the  mortgage  the  Government  had  on  it.  Burr,  during 
this  detention,  said  he  hoped  he  should  be  able  to  come 
to  see  us  to-morrow  or  next  day ;  but  I  fancy  we  shall 
have  the  liberty  of  the  town  as  soon  as  his  highness ;  and 
so  after  all,  it  is  one  hundred  to  one,  I  shall  never  be  ever 
arraigned  for  treason.  On  entering  the  dome  of  the 
capitol  I  was  indemnified  for  the  severity  of  my  walk, 
not  merely  by  the  pleasure  of  the  transition  from  the 
heat  abroad  to  the  shade  and  lower  temperature  of  that 
part  of  the  building,  but  by  the  enjoyment  of  beholding 
a  face  I  had  not  yet  seen  in  town.  I  passed  close  by 
Phelps,  whose  visage  exhibited  so  high-colored  a  picture 
of  the  disappointment  of  his  malice,  that  I  involuntarily 
smiled  upon  him  with  such  satisfaction  as  almost  tempted 
me  to  wish  him  joy.  My  hurry,  however,  did  not  permit 
me  to  speak.  I  must  reserve  my  words  for  something 
more  human.  Tupper  expects  letters  this  evening.  I 
have  charged  Billy  to  see  him,  and  be  with  me  as  early 
as  he  can.  If  I  but  wake  to  good  tidings  from  Natchez, 
how  shall  I  sacrifice  to  the  God  of  fathers,  for  his  pre 
servation  of  my  Harman,  whom  I  have  again  dreamed  I 
have  lost. 

THURSDAY,  SEPTEMBER  3,  1807. 

I  opened  my  eyes  first  this  morning  in  quest  only  of 
that  object,  in  exclusion  of  all  others,  that  occupied  my 
heart  last  night.  But  instead  of  letters  through  General 
Tupper,  Billy  brought  me  early  a  note  from  him,  to  an- 


INCERTITUDE.  385 

nounce  that  there  were  three  letters  from  my  wife,  not 
here,  arrived  for  me,  but  at  Marietta.  To  Almighty  God 
be  first  offered  my  grateful  and  humble  thanksgiving.  I 
am  hereby  enabled  to  conjecture,  with  much  probability, 
my  beloved  wife,  at  least,  was  well  about  the  middle  of 
July.  But  I  dare  not  so  far  presume  upon  the  favor  of 
Providence  as  to  conclude  my  boys,  particularly  Harman, 
were  in  health  at  that  period,  much  less,  how  long  they 
and  their  mother  have  since  continued  well.  This  note 
has  given  me,  however,  a  vivacity  to-day,  in  spite  of  the 
oppressiveness  of  the  weather,  I  have  not  before  experi 
enced  in  this  prison,  where,  it  is  true,  my  friends  have 
sometimes  made  me  bear  a  part  in  the  humor  or  interest 
of  the  story  ;  but  I  have  ever  felt  on  such  occasions  in  the 
state  Nicholas  described,  when  he  gives  us  the  account 
of  that  part  of  his  life  during  which  he  was  conscious 
of  being  under  the  influence  of  two  minds  at  the  same 
instant.  Or,  at  least,  my  heart  would  pity  the  momentary 
fluttering  of  my  spirits,  which,  on  such  occasions,  could 
never  soar  above  its  trouble.  That  truly  worthy  Irish 
man,  Mr.  Hendren,  has  come  again  to  town,  apparently 
on  purpose  to  see  me.  (See  notes  of  8th  ult.)  If  I  shall 
be  detained  here,  as  is  probable,  for  some  time,  after  I 
shall  be  bailed  or  discharged,  I  have  engaged  to  visit  him 
at  Shirley,  twenty  miles  from  here.  Not  having  seen  any 
one  since  the  rising  of  the  court  this  evening,  we  are 
without  any  knowledge  of  the  proceedings  there  to-day. 
Luckett  called,  this  morning,  to  tell  me  Alston  required 
me  to  write  to  him  again,  to  desire  he  would  settle  or 
assume  the  amount  of  the  bill  Luckett  holds,  with  my 

indorsement,  saying  my  last  letter  to  him  on  Monday  to 
25 


386  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

do  so,  did  not  express  my  desire  with  sufficient  certainty. 
This  is  admirable !  Major  Smith  has  seen  that  letter,  and 
only  wanted  to  hear  this  statement  by  Luckett,  which,  if 
true,  settles  Mr.  Alston's  intentions  and  mine.  The  first 
to  put  off,  the  last  to  hasten ;  if  he  leaves  this  town,  with 
out  his  having  reasons  I  shall  approve  of  for  not  making 
the  settlements  he  has  undertaken,  my  purpose  is  fixed  to 
follow  him  to  the  "  Oaks  "  with  a  friend,  very  soon  after 
my  discharge,  when  it  shall  not  exceed  forty-eight  hours 
to  conclude  all  my  business  with  him.  I  have  written  to 
William  Thompson  a  long  letter,  accepting  his  tender  of 
a  correspondence,  and  returning  him  my  sincere  disposi 
tion  to  improve  our  acquaintance  into  a  friendship.  Re 
curring  with  Mr.  Smith  to  some  incidents  that  happened 
soon  after  our  arrival  at  Natchez,  and  speaking  of  Cowles 
Meade,  I  was  much  surprised  to  learn  what  I  had  never 
heard  before,  that  Meade  had  seriously  taken  up  an  idea 
of  Col.  Burr's  being  then  deranged,  alleging  that  he 
could  not  be  mistaken,  as  he,  Meade,  had  very  long 
known  him.  Be  this  as  it  may,  Burr,  yesterday,  looked 
fifty  per  cent,  better  than  I  have  ever  seen  him,  and  dis 
played  a  command  of  tone  and  firmness  of  manner  he 
did  not  appear  to  me  to  possess  before  the  verdict  of 
Tuesday.  11,  P.  M. 

FRIDAY,  SEPTEMBER  4,  1807. 

Visited  this  morning  by  Ellis  and  Doctor  Monholland, 
who  inform  us  yesterday  was  spent  in  Court  in  a  desultory 
disputation  on  Hay's  attempt,  moved  or  suggested  to 
have  Burr  transmitted  to  the  Kentucky  District;  on 
which-  the  Chief  Justice  has  yet  made  no  rule,  as  they 


MISDEMEANOR.  387 

understand  he  conceives  the  indictment  for  the  misde 
meanor  must  be  first  got  rid  of  here.  They  also  tell  us 
Burr  went  out  about  1  o'clock  to  procure  bail,  which 
they  supposed  he  did  not  effect,  as  his  guard  were  in 
statu  quo  this  morning.  I  have  written  a  thankful  letter 
to  two  :  I  have  received  one  from  Jas.  O.  Hennessy,  a 
Kerry  schoolmaster,  who  appears  to  be  settled  as  a  private 
tutor  in  the  family  of  Hudson  Martin,  Esq.,  near  York 
Post-office,  Albemarle  county,  and  is  very  solicitous  to 
serve  me.  Read  the  best  part  of  this  morning,  as  is 
generally  my  practice  when  not  otherwise  employed,  and 
which  will  show  I  have  not  been  idle,  wherever  it  might 
appear  by  this  diary  the  minutes  of  any  particular  day 
are  few  or  uninteresting.  Hay  has  made  a  special  return 
instanter,  to  a  subpcena,  duces-tecum,  ordering  him  to  pro 
duce  a  letter  from  Jefferson  to  Wilkinson,  which  Hay 
did  not  wish  made  public,  as  parts  of  it  were  confidential. 
But  his  return  was  not  accepted,  and  he  has  been  co 
erced  to  produce  the  letter.  The  whole  day  has  been 
spent  in  altercation  on  this  subject,  and  the  question 
whether  evidence  should  be  gone  into  to  determine  upon 
the  transmissal  of  us  all  to  another  district,  before  our 
indictments  for  the  misdemeanor  are  ,here  disposed  of. 
In  Burr's  case,  the  Chief  Justice  has  determined  his  dis 
charge  from  his  treason  bill,  and  ordered  his  trial  for 
the  misdemeanor  to  proceed  directly.  11,  P.  M. 

SATURDAY,  SEPTEMBER  5,  1807. 

Burr  is  to-day  to  give  bail  to  the  misdemeanor,  the 
Chief  Justice  having  yesterday  determined  a  capias  is  the 
proper  process,  and  not  a  summons,  on  grounds  I  ana 


388  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

ignorant  of.  The  sum  was  settled  at  $5,000,  Burr  having 
prayed  it  might  he  reduced  below  what  it  had  heen  for 
merly  fixed  at  since  his  acquittal ;  and  his  heing  in  cus 
tody  on  civil  process,  altered  his  situation,  and  now  made 
it  more  difficult  for  him  to  find  hail  than  before.  Strange ! 
I  should  never  before  have  heard  of  this  arrest  on  civil  pro 
cess  having  been  made  upon  him,  and  still  being  unre- 
moved.  I  observed  to  Alston,  who  has  just  left  me,  that 
I  found  by  to-day's  papers,  Col.  Burr  and  the  Judge  had 
both  referred  to  this  circumstance  as  influential  in  settling 
the  quantum  of  the  bail.  He  did  not  like  it,  and  asked, 
peevishly,  ""What  is  it  the  papers  will  not  talk  about?" 
This  man,  with  his  most  active  associates,  Bollman  and 
Sam.  Swartwout,  to  whom  probably  young  Dayton  may 
now  be  added,  has,  I  believe,  been  more  active  with  every 
thing  than  his  purse  to  serve  the  interests  of  Burr ;  his 
industry  enabled  him,  rather  than  his  judgment  or 
knowledge  of  the  subject,  to  anticipate  the  opinion  of  the 
Chief  Justice  on  the  late  arguments  of  an  entire  week, 
long  before  any  body  else  scarcely  would  venture  an  opin 
ion,  or  conjecture  about  it.  And  if  the  Coryphcd  of  the 
prosecution  were  solicitous  to  collect,  from  every  opportu 
nity  they  could  derive  from  the  Judge's  conduct,  materials 
to  fabricate  an  impeachment  against  him,  the  Triumviri 
above  mentioned  were  not  less  busy  in  their  preparations, 
by  rumors  or  publications,  to  arraign  him  for  timidity  be 
fore  the  tribunal  of  public  opinion,  in  case  his  judgments 
had  been  adverse  to  their  wishes.  Notwithstanding  the 
dignity  and  independence  of  the  Judge's  mind,  I  suspect 
from  some  hints  dropped  to  me  by  Mercer,  Mr.  Marshall 
early  perceived  his  course  lay  between  Scylla  and  Charyb- 


DOUBTS.  389 

dis,  though  he  equally  disregarded  the  dangers  that  men 
aced  him  on  either  side.  Again,  Alston  has  detected,  by 
his  spies,  some  curious  governmental  manoeuvres,  that 
have  been  going  on  in  Kentucky,  nothing  less  than  prep 
arations  by  Bibb,  the  District  Attorney  there,  for  our 
prosecution  in  that  State  to  be  instituted,  if  not  already 
commenced,  the  moment  we  are  discharged  here,  provided 
only  the  necessary  witnesses  can  be  trained  and  suborned, 
and  a  grand  jury  packed  for  the  purpose.  Alston  assures 
me  the  grand  jury  was  actually  to  have  been  embodied 
yesterday,  if  the  scheme  had  succeeded,  of  which  he  ex 
pected  to  be  advised  by  Monday.  Hence  we  learn  to  ac 
count  for  Hay's  delays,  to  dismiss  the  other  treason  bills 
here,  which  he  may  yet  possibly  proceed  upon,  though 
he  has  declared  he  would  enter  nolle  prosequis  if  he  finds 
his  speculations  in  Kentucky  likely  to  miscarry.  Why 
else  has  Major  Smith  been  served  to-day  with  copies  of 
his  indictments  ?  Alston  tells  me,  Duncan  was  yesterday 
evening  examined  upon  interrogatories  by  consent,  by 
Burr  and  Botts,  preparatory  to  his,  Duncan,  leaving  town 
to-day.  The  object  was  to  obtain  matter  to  discredit 
Wilkinson.  It  is  pretended  Duncan  has  proved  Wilkin 
son  guilty  of  forgery,  in  erasing  and  altering  the  cipher 
letter.  But  I  do  not  place  implicit  reliance  on  the  full 
extent  of  this  statement.  Burr's  guard,  it  is  added,  will 
be  dismissed  to-day.  But  the  business  of  bailing  may 
undergo  some  procrastination,  I  suppose,  if  any  part  of  it 
depends  upon  expectations  from  Alston,  who  has  not 
to-day  said  a  word  to  me  upon  money  matters,  from 
which  I  do  by  no  means  imagine  he  has  yet  concluded 
any  thing  with  Nicholas  or  Luckett.  I  was  not  sorry  he 


390  THE  BLENNEKHASSETT  PAPERS. 

did  not  call  me  out.  I  shall  not  forget  to  construe  his 
silence  upon  my  last  note  to  him,  to  settle  with  Luckett 
for  the  bill  as  an  acceptance  of  one  demand,  at  least, 
beyond  the  limits  of  his  letter  of  guarantee.  Though  had 
he  spoken  to  me  in  private,  I  was  prepared  to  express  to 
him  my  surprise  at  the  freedom  he  used  in  speaking  of 
what  passed  during  my  visit  from  Duane,  after  I  had 
apprised  him  I  did  not  wish  it  published ;  also,  to  warn 
him  of  my  being  acquainted  with  the  officious  inquiries 
his  friend  Bollman  had  been  making  about  me,  and  to  ac 
quaint  him,  that  though  his  agent  in  Philadelphia  would 
probably  exonerate  me  from  one  of  the  attachments,  yet 
he  had  not  paid  the  bill,  in  the  manner  stated  to  me  on  a 
former  occasion.  (See  notes  of  27th  and  29th  ult.) 

Since  writing  the  above,  before  dinner,  I  find  this  even 
ing  I  have  been  much  mistaken  in  my  conjectures  of  the 
morning  respecting  the  hero  of  these  notes.  Luckett  has 
just  stepped  off  with  Alston's  letter  of  guarantee  to  me, 
on  which  I  have  seen  a  special  receipt  from  Nicholas  to 
him,  for  a  bond  and  mortgage.  Luckett  brought  it  to  me 
to  request  I  would  also  endorse  on  it  an  order  to  settle  his 
demand  for  the  bill,  which  I  did  very  readily.  The  news 
by  this  arrival  is,  that  Burr,  besides  his  bail  already  men 
tioned,  procured  security  to-day,  also,  for  $30,000,  in  civil 
suits,  which  have  been  here  commenced  against  him ;  that 
he  enjoyed  a  long  walk  this  evening  with  Mrs.  Alston, 
in  which  he  exhibited  himself  through  the  greater  part  of 
the  town,  and  will  probably  honor  me  with  a  visit  to-mor 
row.  It  is  again  threatened  that  Alston  will  be  off  to 
morrow,  but  not  without  seeing  me ;  I  fancy  he  will,  in 
case  he  comes  pour  prendre  congS,  take  away  with  him, 


SPECULATION.  391 

from  my  valediction,  more  matter  of  reflection  for  him  to 
ponder  on,  at  the  Oaks,  than  has  yet  troubled  him  on  my 
account.  Half  past  10,  P.  M. 

SUNDAY,  SEPTEMBER  6,  1807. 

As  I  learned  yesterday,  which  I  've  omitted  to  mention, 
that  Burr's  trial  for  the  misdemeanor  had  been  ordered 
by  the  Court  to  commence  to-morrow,  the  uncertainty  of 
its  duration  has  caused  me  no  small  uneasiness,  lest  it 
might  prolong  my  imprisonment  until  the  period  of  its 
termination.  This  apprehension  has  led  me  this  morn 
ing  to  suggest,  by  note  to  my  counsel,  the  expedient  of 
my  pleading  in  abatement  to  both  my  indictments,  to 
morrow  morning  on  the  opening  of  the  court,  at  once 
before  the  trial  begins.  I  have  had  a  short  line  in  answer 
from  Botts,  saying,  he  will  this  evening  confer  with  Ran 
dolph  and  Wickham,  and  endeavor  to  have  me  brought 
into  court,  pursuant  to  my  desire.  My  speculation,  on 
the  success  of  this  manoeuvre,  opens  to  me  a  prospect  of 
no  small  interest  and  amusement,  as  it  may  affect  the 
recovery  of  my  liberty,  at  least  for  a  time,  and  promises 
to  occasion  no  little  embarrassment  to  the  prosecutors, 
who  can  not,  I  believe,  support  a  demurrer  to  the  plea, 
which  when  established  will,  of  course,  destroy  both  of 
the  present  indictments  against  me,  and  thereby  reduce 
Hay  to  the  dilemma  of  seeing  me  fully  discharged  by  the 
Court,  or  oblige  him  to  apply  for  a  recommitment,  in 
order  to  have  me  transmitted  to  another  district.  But  to 
open  and  examine  the  evidence  from  which  alone  he 
could  exhibit  even  the  semblance  of  probable'  cause  to 
induce  the  Court  to  grant  such  a  motion,  would  occasion 


392  THE  BLENNERHASSET?  PAPERS. 

such  an  interference  and  obstruction  of  Burrs  trial  now 
pending,  that  he  must  be  inevitably  distanced,  unless  he 
can  prevent  my  pleading  until  the  present  trial  is  at  an 
end,  which  I  also  expect  he  will  fail  in,  because  I  conceive 
it  a  matter  of  right  that  I  should  plead  when  I  am  ready 
to  do  so.  Besides,  the  Court  will  have  sufficient  leisure ; 
for  I  understand  from  Mercer  and  Kerr,  that  Burr's  trial 
will  not,  in  fact,  commence  before  Tuesday,  or  perhaps 
Wednesday.  These  gentlemen,  in  giving  me  this  intelli 
gence  this  morning,  acquaint  me  with  some  curious  cir 
cumstances,  which  have  occasioned  the  expected  suspen 
sion.  It  seems,  after  Hay's  special  return  to  the  subpoena 
duces-tecum  on  Friday,  stating  that  he  deemed  certain 
parts  of  Wilkinson's  letter,  of  12th  of  November,  to  Jef 
ferson,  confidential,  which  he  therefore  could  not  part 
with,  etc.,  was  held  insufficient,  after  an  animated  discus 
sion  by  the  Court,  which  threatened  to  enforce  Mr.  Hay's 
compliance  with  its  orders.  He  then  begged  time  to  learn 
Wilkinson's  pleasure,  as  to  his  producing  the  letter. 
Yesterday,  however,  he  took  new  ground,  and  prayed  to 
amend  his  return,  which  now  set  forth,  "  that  on  a  fur 
ther  perusal  and  examination  of  the  said  letter,  he  dis 
covered  it  contained  some  secrets  of  state,  whereupon  he 
prayed  time  to  obtain  Jefferson's  consent  or  dissent  to  his 
producing  it."  Four  days,  I  am  told,  is  the  extent  of  the 
time  allowed  for  his  receiving  an  answer  from  Monticello. 
But  it  is  a  little  curious,  that  in  order  to  learn  his  master's 
pleasure  he  should  send  the  letter  to  him,  which  I  am 
assured  he  has  actually  done,  so  that  we  may,  by  possi 
bility,  be  gratified  with  the  scene  that  may  ensue  011  Jef 
ferson's  heroism,  opposing  his  shield  to  the  onset  of  the 


ANECDOTE.  393 

Chief  Justice  upon  his  attorney.  But  the  bewildered 
Hay  has,  in  the  mean  time,  "  let  the  cat  out  of  the  bag ;" 
for  the  great  secret  of  state  is  now  all  over  the  town.  It 
happened  thus.  While  the  guardian  of  state  secrecy  and 
private  confidence  was  yesterday  descanting  before  the 
Court  on  the  sacred  obligations  of  these  duties,  the  deities 
or  demons  of  theft  and  discord,  combining  with  the  evil 
genii  of  Jefferson  and  Hay,  directed  the  keen  scent  and 
piercing  eye  of  a  vulture  to  that  prey  most  natural  to  his 
appetite.  John  Graham,  whose  name  may  find  a  place 
perhaps  in  the  history  of  the  present  administration,  from 
his  exploits  as  a  spy  and  informer  in  their  service,  politely 
stepped  up  to  the  table  where  the  letter  lay,  and  while 
Hay  was  earnestly  defending  the  inviolable  secrecy  of  its 
contents,  this  "  Bird  of  Paradise  "  was  pecking  at  the  for 
bidden  fruit.  The  example  was  followed  by  other  fowl, 
I  know  not  how  far,  of  the  same  feather.  But  some 
magpies,  I  find,  were  so  delighted  with  the  fruit,  of  which 
they  had  eaten  in  the  same  manner,  that  they  flew  through 
the  streets  in  the  evening,  intoxicated  with  its  flavor,  and 
chattering  the  words,  "Militia  traitors!"  These  fine 
birds  could  not  speak  in  detail  of  all  the  sweets  on  which 
they  had  regaled  themselves ;  yet  can  they  rival  that  cel 
ebrated  parrot  that  detected  a  Prince  of  Orange  incog., 
and  squall,  when  a  little  man  passes  by  them,  "Great 
General."  The  oracles  of  intrigue,  however,  at  the  capi- 
tol,  have  been  resorted  to  on  this  occasion,  who  have 
answered,  "  that  a  great  General  expressed  his  opinion, 
as  a  secret  of  state,  that  the  Mississippi  and  Orleans  mil 
itias  should  not  be  trusted."  I  am  a  little  pleased  with 
this  anecdote,  and  have  some  thoughts  of  giving  it  to  the 


394  THE  BLENNEBHASSETT  PAPERS. 

public.  I  find  Tupper  and  many  other  witnesses  aro 
about  to  return  home,  some  being  discharged  as  they 
arrived ;  i.  e.,  unexamined,  some  having,  by  consent  of 
parties,  left  their  affidavits.  I  am  inclined  to  infer,  from 
these  appearances,  that  poor  Hay  rather  feels  craw-sick, 
than  that  he  is  not  yet  fully  gorged  with  the  banquet  of 
professional  fame,  at  which  he  has  made  so  long  a  sitting. 
As  for  McRae,  he  is  utterly  chop-fallen ;  an  object  of  dis 
gust  to  his  friends,  and  pity  to  his  enemies.  Luther  Mar 
tin  sat  some  time  with  us  this  morning.  He  said  he 
came  to  see  his  client  Major  Smith ;  but  his  vanity  as  an 
author  and  a  father  led  him  to  bring  me  his  strictures  on 
the  barbarous  and  sanguinary  toasts  that  were  drank  on 
the  Fourth  of  July,  against  Burr  and  himself,  at  Elktown, 
in  Maryland,  and  also  to  read  two  letters  from  two  of  his 
daughters.  His  retort  on  the  toasters  is  a  good  philippic 
on  their  bloody  ignorance  of  the  law,  but  a  mass  of  verbi 
age,  engrossing  more  than  one  page  of  a  paper,  the  points 
and  arguments  of  which  might  all  be  neatly  expressed  in 
half  a  column.  He  improves  in  interest,  as  I  get  a  nearer 
view  of  his  sensibilities,  through  which  he  shines  far 
brighter  as  a  father  or  a  friend  than  he  will  ever  appear 
through  his  oratory  or  his  writings  as  an  advocate  or  an 
author. 

MONDAY,  SEPTEMBER  7,  1807. 

This  day,  at  11  o'clock,  A.  M.,  ended  my  captivity, 
which  has  lasted  fifty-three  days.  I  was  taken  down  to 
Court  about  ten  o'clock,  when  Mr.  Botts  called  upon  Hay 
to  know  what  he  meant  to  do  with  my  treason-bill,  which 
Hay  agreed  to  have  discharged,  but  required  my  deten 
tion  in  custody  on  the  indictment  for  the  misdemeanor, 


OUT    OF    PRISON.  395 

which  produced  a  conversation  on  the  subject  of  bail, 
during  which  D.  Woodbridge  offered  me  his  services. 
After  an  examination  on  the  amount  of  his  property,  he 
was  accepted  as  my  security  in  $5,000,  myself  being  bound 
in  the  same  sum,  on  condition  that  I  attend  the  court  on 
Wednesday,  and  not  depart  the  same  from  day  to  day, 
without  license,  until  discharged.  John ,  Banks  had  also 
come  up  to  court  to  assist  me  in  the  way  of  bail.  He 
afterward  accompanied  me  in  quest  of  a  lodging,  which 
I  have  found  at  a  Mr.  Walton's,  who  seems  a  good  sort 
of  man,  and  will,  upon  my  solicitation,  if  necessary,  come 
forward  to-morrow  to  bail  Major  Smith,  though  L.  Mar 
tin  will  take  that  friendship  on  himself.  We  then  re 
paired  to  the  Post-office,  where  I  was  made  happy  by  a 
letter  from  my  beloved  wife,  of  the  3d  ult.,  whom  the 
favor  of  Almighty  God  permitted  the  blessing  of  her 
health,  and  that  of  our  boys.  I  then  visited  Aaron  Burr, 
now  settled  in  the  house  occupied  lately  by  Alston,  who 
has  at  last  gone  off  this  morning  in  the  way  he  has  so 
long  threatened,  that  is,  without  taking  leave.  In  the 
evening,  I  returned  to  the  Penitentiary  to  visit  Major 
Smith,  and,  after  acquainting  him  with  my  having  pro 
vided  more  agreeable  quarters  for  him,  I  came  away  with 
L.  Martin,  and  took  up  my  abode  at  my  lodgings,  under 
a  severe  headache,  the  forerunner  of  another  day's  sick 
ness,  which  I  shall  probably  undergo  to-morrow.  But  it 
is  just  the  happiness  conferred  by  a  letter  from  Natchez 
should  be  tempered  with  an  alloy. 

WEDNESDAY,  SEPTEMBER  9,  1807. 
As  I  apprehended  on  Monday  night,  I  spent  yesterday 


396  THE    BLENNERIIASSETT    PAPERS. 

in  bed,  under  much  fever  and  sickness.  In  the  morning, 
I  fortunately  begged  Mr.  Walton  to  take  my  cloak,  as  he 
was  an  invalid,  and  it  was  very  rainy,  and  step  up  to 
court,  in  case  of  his  assistance  being  wanted  to  bail  Major 
Smith.  Mr.  W.  had  on  Monday  agreed,  after  much 
solicitation  on  my  part,  to  come  forward  as  the  Major's 
bail,  if  necessary.  But  as  I  had  some  slight  fears  of 
Martin's  forgetting  engagements  he  had  made  while  in 
his  cups,  thought  it  most  prudent  to  have  Walton  on  the 
spot,  and  the  event  justified  my  prudence;  for  though 
Martin  had  not  forgotten  his  promise,  he  was  incapable 
of  executing  it,  through  the  effects  of  yesterday  morn 
ing's  potations.  I  was  informed  by  Major  Smith,  that 
had  not  Mr.  Walton  arrived  when  he  did,  the  Court 
would  very  soon  have  remanded  him  for  want  of  bail, 
Martin  having  in  vain  endeavored  to  express  his  purpose, 
in  which  Burr  interrupted  him,  not  liking  the  statement 
he  was  trying  to  make  to  the  Court,  though  Martin 
would  gladly  have  entered  bail  to  any  amount,  for  he  is, 
I  am  now  convinced,  one  of  the  best-hearted  men  alive. 
I  slept  badly  last  night,  and  am  very  weak  to-day,  though 
I  have  attended  my  place  in  court,  where  the  trial  of 
Burr  proceeded  on  the  misdemeanor,  Hay  having  pre 
sented  from  Jefferson  a  mutilated  copy  of  Wilkinson's 
letter,  out  of  which  Jefferson  has  reserved  all  the  parts 
alleged  to  be  confidential,  in  disregard  of  the  opinion  of 
the  Court  rejecting  the  special  return  to  the  subpO3na 
aleady  offered  to  that  effect  by  Hay.  How  far  the  Court 
will  accept  from  Jefferson,  what  it  has  refused  from  Hay, 
will  not  appear  until  the  fate  of  six  points,  made  by  Botts 
to-day,  to  arrest  all  further  evidence  in  this  case  similar 


CONSULTATION.  397 

to  what  was  done  in  the  treason  case,  shall  be  determined. 
The   arguments   on   this   motion   will   not  probably  be 
closed  before  the  end  of  the  week.     I  had,  this  evening, 
a  pretty  long  tete  a  t£te  with  Burr,  during  which  General 
Dayton  was  sequestered  in  another  room.     This  old  sly 
boots,  or  Burr,  who  is  often  closeted  with  him,  did  not 
mention  a  hint  of  my  seeing  him,  though  Burr  had  the 
candor  to  tell  me,  when  I  was  taking  leave,  he  would 
return  to  General   Dayton   in   the  next   room  ;  so  that 
both  were  equally  conscious  I  should  despise  the  intro 
duction.      Our   conversation    turned   altogether   on  the 
subject  of  my  involvment  in  pecuniary  claims  upon  him, 
in  which  I  represented  distinctly,  and  with  firmness,  that 
I  should  expect   indemnity  from  him  for  every  loss  I 
might  incur  by  his  paper  or  my  disbursements  for  him, 
specifying  to  him,  at  the  same  time,  many  instances  in 
which  my  property  on  the  Ohio  had  already  been  sacri 
ficed  on  those  accounts,  and  adding,  that  I  particularly 
held  Alston   answerable  to  me  for  any  bills,  with  the 
charges  upon  them,  which  I  might  have  indorsed  beyond 
the  amount  of  Alston's  guarantee  to  me  by  letter,  unless 
Burr  would  settle  such  claims.     He  assured  me  he  would 
adjust  all  such  demands,  whenever  he  can  be  freed  from 
the  present  prosecutions,  and  can  have  reasonable  time  to 
collect  his  resources ;  until  when,  he  expressed  a  desire 
that  I  should  employ  Jacob  Burnet,  now  here,  to  procure 
as  much  procrastination  of  execution  on  Miller's  attach 
ment  as  he  can,  Alston  having  got  Nicholas  and  Luckett 
to  accept  of  his  paper  for  their  demands  to  the  amount 
of  $12,500,  with  charges.     I  will  have  one  more  consulta 
tion  with  Burr  before  I  make  my  first  demand  upon 


398  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

Alston  for  the  balance  of  his  guarantee  by  letter,  which 
will  be  $2,500,  at  least.  When  that  is  disposed  of,  I  shall 
meditate  upon  other  demands,  on  his  verbal  guarantee  to 
me.  10  o'clock,  P.  M. 

THURSDAY,  SEPTEMBER  10,  1807. 

I  have,  this  morning,  conferred  with  J.  Burnet,  who 
tells  me  Miller  may  be  delayed  in  effecting  sales  against 
me  in  Ohio  for  twelve  months  to  come.     I  have  also  en 
gaged  him  to  act  as  my  attorney  in  Ohio  Federal  Court, 
against  old  Woodbridge.     The  Court  heard  Bolts  and 
Martin  argue  further  on  Botts's  motion,  and  adjourned 
early,  on  account  of    the  absence  and  indisposition  of 
some  of  the  other  counsel.      I  then  enjoyed  a  further 
repast,  prepared  for  me  by  my  beloved  wife,  which  had 
been  withheld,  I  know  not  how  long,  from  me.     It  was 
the  letters  she  had  addressed  to  me  at  Marietta,  with 
others  inclosed  in  them,  to  the  amount  of  nine  dollars 
postage.     These  being  without  dates,  I  knew  they  must 
be  old.     The  profiles  they  inclosed  of  my  dear  boys  were 
morsels  of  such  exquisite  and  uncloying  flavor,  that  they 
have  developed  within  me  sensations  of  delight  I  did  not 
know  I  possessed.     How  many  parts  of  all  the  lines  and 
curves  of  these  dear  heads  I  shall  scan  and  reflect  upon, 
in  many  a  precious  reverie,  it  is  given  to  few  besides 
myself  to  care  or  comprehend.     But  did  I  truly  know 
my  patience  had  obtained  for   me  any  particular  bless 
ing,  among  the  many  I  derive  alone  from  a  beneficent 
Providence,  then  how  much  better  should  I  know  the 
pre-eminent  value  of  that  blessing,  and  study  the  holy 
tenure  by  which  I  could  preserve  it.     I  will  never  dare  to 


IN    DEBT.  399 

ask,  but  will  receive  from  Divine  dispensation,  in  this 
sense,  its  permission  of  the  health  and  comfort  of  my 
little  family,  which  I  yet  know  not,  but  beseech  Almighty 
God  to  teach  me  how  I  may  deserve  it.  I  went  this 
evening  to  the  Harmonic  Society,  at  which  I  could  not 
assist  for  want  of  my  spectacles.  The  vice-president 
requested  I  would  consider  myself  an  honorary  member 
while  in  town.  The  flutes  are  good,  with  four  moder 
ately  good  violins,  two  tenors,  two  bass  players,  one 
telerably  good  and  three  excellent  singers,  who  performed 
some  charming  trios  of  Doctor  Calcott's,  new  to  me,  and 
composed  for  some  affecting  extracts  from  Ossian.  The 
instrumental  music  was  all  old,  and  known  to  me.  I 
passed  a  pleasant  evening,  and  came  away  at  12.  Next 
Thursday  I  shall  take  a  part. 

FRIDAY,  SEPTEMBER  11,  1807. 

Saw  Burnet  again  this  morning,  and  showed  him  Al 
ston's  letter  of  guarantee,  which  I  assigned  to  Sanders, 
and  is  now  returned  to  me,  by  his  agent  Nicholas,  with 
the  latter's  receipt  indorsed  upon  it  for  Alston's  paper, 
which  he  has  taken  in  satisfaction  of  his  principal's 
demand.  I  have  written  to  Lewis,  to  state  this  settle 
ment,  and  hope  it  will  restore  my  credit  with  his  house, 
from  whence  I  have  requested  a  remittance  of  $200,  as 
I  am  in  debt  and  without  funds.  Court,  to-day,  was 
occupied  with  further  arguments  on  Botts's  points.  I 
heard  Wirt  for  the  first  time.  He  is  a  handsome  speaker, 
but  faulty  in  his  figures,  rather  through  defect  of  study 
than  genius.  Edmon-d  Randolph  followed  on  the  other 
tide;  he  has  suffered  a  depression,  in  manner  and 


400  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

matter,  of  fully  one-half,  since  I  saw  him  display  here 
in  1800. 

SATURDAY,  SEPTEMBER  12,  1807. 

Randolph  finished  his  argument  this  morning,  and  was 
as  labored,  inanimate  and  uninteresting  as  on  yesterday. 
He  advanced  nothing  new,  except  an  objection  to  the  in 
dictments  not  setting  forth  with  sufficient  certainty  that 
the  expedition  was  carried  on  from  the  United  States, 
pursuant  to  the  manner  in  which  the  offense  is  described 
in  the  statute ;  as  he  insisted,  in  the  present  indictment, 
the  words  "  from  thence  "  referred  to  the  Island,  and  not 
to  the  United  States.  The  point  seemed  to  me  a  good 
one,  and  the  Chief  Justice  took  a  note  of  it.  Martin 
followed  for  two  hours,  and  was,  besides  being  clear  in 
his  positions,  though,  as  usual,  totally  regardless  of  ar 
rangement,  less  cumbrous  than  in  common  with  his 
verbiage.  But  Wickham,  who  closed  on  that  side,  ex 
hibited  a  masterpiece  of  strong,  condensed  argumenta 
tion,  followed  with  a  severe,  but  measured  philippic  on 
the  motives,  ignorance  and  misconduct  of  the  prose 
cutors.  This  occasioned  such  agitation  to  Hay,  who  was 
alone  hardy  enough,  of  the  three  on  that  side,  to  with 
stand  the  impression,  that  he  declared  his  feelings  ought 
no.t  to  be  trusted  with  the  duty  imposed  on  him,  to  offer 
remarks  on  expressions  so  unprovoked  and  unmerited, 
which  Mr.  Wickham  would  retract.  He  therefore  re 
quested  to  be  heard  on  Monday ;  the  Court  then  immedi 
ately  adjourned.  But  I  trust  the  Judge  will  not  allow 
Hay  to  prove  what  he  can  alone  do ;  namely,  Tutius  est 
igitur  fictis  contendere  verbis  quam  pugnare  manu.  I  have 


NO    CAPITAL.  401 

this  evening  progressed  with  letters  to  A.  Martin,  so  long 
delayed.  (See  notes  of  the  29th  ult.)  Should  I  ever  suc 
ceed  to  the  large  estates  which  Martin  supposes  now  awaits 
me,  who  would  imagine,  that  did  not  know  my  indiffer 
ence  to  wealth,  I  should  be  so  careless  of  it. 

SUNDAY,  SEPTEMBER  13,  1807. 

I  was  this  morning  informed  by  Mr.  "Walton,  a  gentle 
man  had  arrived  in  town  last  night  from  the  country, 
who  had  come  a  considerable  distance  to  see  me,  and 
would  call  at  9  o'clock.  I  therefore  staid  within  to 
receive  him — certain  it  must  be  either  Mr.  Hendren  or 
O'Hennessy — and  was  called  upon  to  the  minute,  when  a 
stranger  appeared  somewhat  agitated.  I  inquired  whether 
it  was  Mr.  O'Hennessy  I  had  the  pleasure  to  receive,  and 
being  answered  in  the  affirmative,  I  invited  him  up  stairs. 
This  man,  I  soon  found,  who  had  seen  me  only  once  or 
twice  in  Kerry,  when  I  was  one  of  the  counsel  attending 
John  Crosbie's  election,  I  believe,  in  1793,  who  had  never 
spoken  a  word  to  me  in  his  life  until  this  day,  has  suf 
fered  many  a  sleepless  night  through  his  anxiety  for  me 
under  the  present  prosecutions,  and  the  first  moment  he 
learned  he  could  have  a  chance  of  seeing  me,  he  set  out 
and  rode  105  miles  for  the  purpose.  This  is  not  all ;  he 
intreats  me  to  suffer  him  to  follow  me  to  any  indefinite 
distance,  declaring  he  regards  it  as  the  first  object  of  his 
heart  to  settle  near  me.  He  has  no  capital;  but,  as  a 
schoolmaster  and  a  skillful  dealer  in  horses,  can  command 
the  means  of  a  comfortable  livelihood  any  where  in 
America.  At  Natchez  he  can  soon  get  rich.  He  will, 

therefore,  accompany  me  with  a  Mr.  O'Connor,  a  mathe- 
26 


402  THE    BLENNERHASSETT    PAPERS 

matician,  who  will  follow  his  fortune,  so  that  I  have 
secured  a  good  tuition  for  my  boys  in  the  dead  languages, 
English,  and  the  elementary  branches  of  the  sciences, 
until  a  prospect  of  bettter  means  for  their  advancement 
may  be  more  clearly  opened  in  Europe — the  only  con 
tingency  that  can  draw  me  from  the  Mississippi.  O'Hen- 
nessy  has  besought  me  to  command  a  fine  horse,  and 
what  money  he  can  raise.  The  latter  I  have  thankfully 
declined.  I  visited  Burr  this  morning ;  he  is  as  gay  as 
usual,  and  as  busy  in  speculations  on  reorganizing  his 
projects  for  action  as  if  he  had  never  suffered  the  least 
interruption.  He  observed  to  Major  Smith  and  me,  that 
in  six  months  our  schemes  could  be  all  remounted ;  that 
we  could  now  new-model  them  in  a  better  mould  than 
formerly,  having  a  clearer  view  of  the  ground,  and  a 
^more  perfect  knowledge  of  our  men.  We  were  silent, 
feeling  the  full  force  of  his  last  remark  on  men ;  which, 
however,  we  did  not  fail,  I  believe,  duly  to  apply  both  to 
him  and  ourselves.  It  should  yet  be  granted,  that  if 
Burr  possessed  sensibilities  of  the  right  sort,  with  one- 
hundredth  part  of  the  energies  for  which,  with  many,  he 
has  obtained  such  ill-grounded  credit,  his  first  and  last 
determination,  with  the  morning  and  the  night,  should 
be  the  destruction  of  those  enemies  who  have  so  long 
and  so  cruelly  wreaked  their  malicious  vengeance  upon 
him.  But  time  will  prove  him  as  incapable  in  all  his 
future  efforts  as  he  has  been  in  the  past.  Honest  Hen- 
nessy  dined  and  spent  the  evening  with  me. 

MONDAY,  SEPTEMBER  14,  1807. 
Major  Smith,  soon  after  breakfast,  brought  me  a  letter 


HAY    UNHORSED.  403 

from  the  office,  from  my  wife,  dated  the  llth  ult.  This 
letter,  too,  has  announced  to  me,  through  the  favor  of  a 
preserving  Providence,  the  good  health  of  my  wife  and 
boys,  up  to  that  date.  I  dare  not,  then,  indulge  a  wish 
to  lament  the  grief  occasioned  her  hy  my  arrest  in  Lex 
ington,  and  the  anguish  that  has  festered  in  her  breast 
from  her  reflections  on  the  severity  of  my  confinement  in 
the  Dog-days.  To-day,  the  Chief  Justice  has  delivered 
an  able,  full,  and  luminous  opinion  as  ever  did  honor  to 
a  judge,  which  has  put  an  end  to  the  present  prosecution. 
But  I  have  no  doubt  the  prosecuting  counsel  will  show 
their  ignorance  and  malevolence  by  carping  at  it  as  they 
did  at  the  other  in  the  treason  case.  The  jury  must  to 
morrow  deliver  a  verdict  of  acquittal — Hay,  in  the  mean 
time,  having  prayed  the  Court  to  adjourn,  to  give  time  to 
study  the  opinion,  and  thereby  shape  his  future  course. 
But  in  this  he  could  not  avoid  showing  his  petulance,  by 
pretending  the  prosecutors  should  exclusively  be  accom 
modated  with  the  opinion,  which  he  would  not  say,  when 
he  would  return  to  the  other  side.  An  application,  how 
ever,  from  Botts,  to  have  it  left  with  the  clerk  for  the 
benefit  of  both  parties,  corrected  this  insolence,  under 
which  Mr.  Hay  sunk  as  usual.  O'Hennessy  could  not 
leave  town  to-day  until  he  heard  the  opinion,  and  saw 
Burr,  to  whom  I  introduced  him  in  court.  He  was 
highly  delighted  with  both,  and  again  visited  me  after 
dinner,  and  will  return  to  Amherst  county  to-morrow — I 
mean  as  far  toward  it,  of  his  105  miles,  as  he  can.  I 
have  this  evening  progressed  further  in  my  letter  to  A. 
Martin. 


404  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

TUESDAY,  SEPTEMBER  15,  1807. 

Saw  Burnet,  this  morning,  who  tells  me  he  has  given 
such  information  to  D.  "Woodbridge  as  will  probably  in 
duce  him  to  become  bail  to  the  attachment  against  me  at 
suit  of  Miller,  by  which  I  hope  to  procure  time  enough 
for  Burr  or  Alston  to  settle  that  demand,  and  exonerate 
my  property  at  Marietta  from  it.  The  prosecutors,  still 
true  to  evil  purposes  and  malicious  designs,  attempted  to 
day  to  get  rid  of  the  prosecution  against  Burr  by  a  nolle 
prosequi.  This  produced  an  argument,  in  which  they 
were  overthrown,  having  nothing  to  rely  upon  on  their 
side  but  a  dictum  in  Fosters  Treatise  on  Homicide.  The 
jury  were  ordered  out,  and  after  an  insidious  attempt,  but 
which  failed,  with  one  of  them  to  bring  in  a  special  ver 
dict,  they  returned  into  court,  in  half  an  hour,  with  a 
general  verdict  of  acquittal.  Hay  then  said  he  would  to 
morrow  enter  nolle  prosequis  on  Smith's  and  my  indict 
ments,  and  proceed  with  his  motion  to  the  Judge  to  com 
mit  and  transmit  us  all  to  some  other  district.  All  are 
busy  in  preparing  for  this  new  contest,  in  which  I  shall 
probably  personally  take  a  part,  from  want  of  instruc 
tions  in  my  counsel,  absence  of  witnesses,  and  other  rea 
sons  which  will  appear  hereafter. 

WEDNESDAY,  SEPTEMBER  16,  1807. 

On  opening  the  court  this  morning,  Hay,  after  some 
desultory  conversation  on  both  sides  of  the  bar,  exhibited 
a  general  charge  against  us  in  writing,  of  having  levied 
war  against  the  United  States,  at  Cumberland  Island,  in 
Kentucky,  at  Bayou  Pierre,  on  the  Mississippi,  or  at 


BURR   AGAIX.  405 

some  intermediate  place.  We  were  all  three,  that  is, 
Burr,  Smith  and  myself,  proposed  to  be  subjected  together 
to  the  inquiry,  leaving  it  to  the  Judge  to  separate  and 
apply  to  each  such  evidence  of  overt  acts  as  the  testimony 
might  disclose.  The  Judge  acquiesced  in  this  proposition 
of  Hay's,  and  one  James  McDowel  was  called,  who 
proved  nothing  more  at  Cumberland  than  that  Burr 
formed  there  a  circle,  and  said,  "  he  would  not  tell  his 
secrets  at  that  place."  There  are,  however,  a  dozen 
other  witnesses  on  the  ground  here  who  were  at  Cum 
berland  at  that  time,  and  will  swear  that  nothing  of  the 
sort  took  place  there.  Hay  then  attempted  to  examine 
as  to  facts  in  the  Mississippi  Territory,  which  called  up, 
after  some  conversation,  an  argument  on  four  points 
made  by  Botts ;  namely,  want  of  power  in  the  Judge  to 
transmit,  under  the  judicial  act;  right  of  Burr  to  a  bar 
by  two  acquittals  here;  his  discharge  by  a  grand  jury 
already  in  Mississippi  Territory ;  and  all  his  acts  taken 
together  constituting  but  one  offense,  for  which  he  has 
already  been  tried  and  acquitted,  within  a  district  which 
the  prosecutors  have  selected  out  of  the  whole  for  the 
purpose.  Botts  was  very  able  and  perspicuous  in  opening 
the  argument,  which  Burr  very  neatly  summed  up  and 
condensed,  before  the  Court  adjourned,  about  half-past  3. 
I  had  no  opportunity  that  presented  the  least  necessity 
for  my  rising,  and  think  that  will  probably  be  the  case 
until  the  motion  for  our  recommitment  is  disposed  of  and 
defeated  altogether.  I  was  glad  to  find  that  Burr  had  at 
last  thought  of  asking  us  to  dine  with  him,  as  I  was 
rather  curious  again  to  see  him  shine  in  a  partie  quarrie, 
consisting  of  new  characters.  We,  therefore,  walked 


406  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

with  him  from  court,  Luther  Martin,  who  lives  with 
him,  accompanying  us.  We  found  but  one  other  face 
that  was  strange  to  us,  and  a  foreigner,  who,  I  hoped, 
might  turn  out  to  he  Bollman.  Martin,  hy  the  way, 
told  me,  "  he  thanked  his  God  he  should  not  now  labor 
under  the  lock-jaw,  which  had  hitherto  restrained  him 
before  Democratic  juries.  He  should  now  be  no  longer 
tongue-tied."  Our  foreigner  was  very  taciturn  and  re 
served,  and  turned  out  to  be  a  cousin  of  Judge  Prevost's, 
and  of  the  same  name.  The  dinner  was  neat,  and  fol 
lowed  by  three  or  four  kinds  of  wine — splendid  poverty ! 
During  the  chit-chat  after  the  cloth  was  removed,  a  letter 
was  handed  to  Burr,  next  to  whom  I  sat.  I  immediately 
smelt  musk.  Burr  broke  the  seal,  put  the  cover  to  his 
nose,  and  then  handed  it  to  me,  saying,  "  This  amounts 
to  a  disclosure."  I  smelt  the  paper,  and  said,  "indeed  I 
think  so."  His  whole  physiognomy  now  assumed  an 
alteration  and  vivacity  that,  to  a  stranger  who  had  never 
seen  him  before,  would  have  sunk  full  fifteen  years  of  his 
age.  "  This,"  said  he,  "  reminds  me  of  a  detection  once 
very  neatly  practiced  upon  me  in  New  York.  One  day  a 
lady  stepped  into  my  library  while  I  was  reading,  came 
softly  behind  my  chair,  and  giving  me  a  slap  on  the 
cheek,  said,  '  Come,  tell  me  directly  what  little  French 
girl,  pray,  have  you  had  here  ? '  The  abruptness  of  the 
question  and  surprise  left  me  little  reason  to  doubt  the 
discovery  had  been  completely  made ;  so  I  thought  it  best 
to  confess  the  whole  fact,  upon  which  the  inquisitress 
burst  out  into  a  loud  laugh  on  the  success  of  her  artifice, 
which  she  was  led  to  play  off  upon  me,  from  the  mere 
circumstance  of  having  smelt  musk  in  the  room."  "We 


ARGUMENTS    HEARD.  407 

all  applauded  this  anecdote  as  it  deserved;  but  I  have 
given  it  a  place  here  only  to  convey  an  idea  of  that  tem 
perament  and  address  which  enabled  this  character  on 
certain  occasions,  like  the  snake,  to  cast  his  slough,  and, 
through  age  and  debauchery,  seem  to  uphold  his  ascend 
ancy  over  the  sex.  After  some  time,  Martin  and  Prevost 
withdrew,  and  we  passed  to  the  topics  of  our  late  adven 
tures  on  the  Mississippi,  on  which  Burr  said  little,  but 
declared  he  did  not  know  of  any  reason  to  blame  Jack 
son,  of  Tennessee,  for  any  thing  he  had  done  or  omitted. 
He  has  not  heard  of  J.'s  letter  to  Claiborne,  which  Wat- 
kins  talked  so  much  about  in  the  executive  council  at 
Orleans,  on  the  question  respecting  the  legislative  memo 
rial  to  Government.  Such  a  general  may  well  continue 
to  sacrifice  to  Venus,  rather  than  to  Mars;  but  he  de 
clares  he  will  not  lose  a  day  after  the  favorable  issue  of 
the  present  contest  at  the  capitol,  of  which  he  has  no 
doubt  to  devote  his  entire  attention  to  settling  up  his 
projects,  which  have  only  been  suspended  on  a  better 
model ;  in  which  work,  he  says,  he  has  even  here  already 
made  some  progress.  Martin  presented  Smith  and  my 
self  each  with  his  portrait,  tolerably  engraved,  as  he  had 
long  since  promised.  I  intend  to  have  it  neatly  framed 
by  Prichard. 

THURSDAY,  SEPTEMBER  17,  1807. 

This  morning,  the  Court  heard  a  continuation  of  the 
arguments  on  both  sides,  which  lasted  until  5  o'clock  this 
evening,  when  Randolph  begged  the  Judge  to  indulge 
him  with  about  an  hour's  hearing  to-morrow  morning, 
promising  that  he  would  show,  under  the  Constitution 


408  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

and  the  spirit  and  genius  of  the  laws  of  their  country, 
that  the  Court  could  not  comply  with  Hay's  present 
motion,  to  have  us  again  committed  and  transmitted  to 
another  district.  Of  the  success  of  such  an  attempt  I  can 
see  no  prospect,  even  if  the  Judge  should  be  of  opinion, 
contrary  to  what  has  been  so  ably  contended  by  Burr's 
counsel,  that  the  Court  has  a  power  to  commit  under  the 
judicial  act;  as  a  total  failure  of  evidence  to  prove  any 
overt  act  upon  us  must  undermine  the  motion.  I  spent 
the  evening  at  the  Harmonic  Society,  where  I  took  a  part 
in  a  symphony  and  a  quartette  by  Pleyel,  but  with  less 
effect  than  if  I  had  been  provided  with  my  own  specta 
cles.  I  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting  there  Neville,  Spence 
and  other  visitors ;  besides  hearing  several  good  glees,  in 
some  of  which  a  Miss  Coniers  took  the  upper  part.  She 
is  a  very  pretty  girl,  and  is  said  by  Neville  to  be  accom 
plished.  The  society  broke  up,  however,  early — the  music 
not  producing  the  best  effect,  from  the  state  of  the 
weather,  and  the  room  being  too  much  crowded.  I  found 
an  old  letter  in  the  Post-office,  announcing  protest  of  the 
bill  held  some  time  since  by  Luckett,  with  my  indorse 
ment  for  $2,500,  so  that  every  thing  that  little  shop 
keeper  had  told  me  of  no  proceedings  having  ever  been 
taken  against  me,  as  an  indorser,  was  utterly  false.  I 
was  called  upon  this  evening  by  David  Meade,  who 
seriously  assured  me  that  vicious  partisan,  Scot,  the  Mar 
shal,  had  been  trying  to  make  a  bargain  with  him  to 
undertake  the  office  of  a  Deputy,  for  the  purpose  of  re- 
conducting  us  to  Kentucky,  anticipating  the  success  of 
the  present  motion,  though  Hay  has  certainly  said  out  c  f 
court,  this  evening,  he  does  not  expect  he  shall  succee  1. 


DOUBTFUL   POSITION.  409 

Such   are  the  tricks  of   these  jugglers,  in  and  out  of 
court.     Midnight. 

FRIDAY,  SEPTEMBER  18,  1807. 

Randolph  kept  his  promise  this  morning,  so  far  as 
making  out  his  hour,  but  did  little  more  service,  having 
offered  nothing  new,  except  one  argument  to  show  that 
where  a  man  had  been  charged  for  the  same  murder  in 
different  States,  the  law  arising  upon  his  acquittal  in  the 
first  was  different  from  what  it  would  be  on  an  acquittal 
of  an  overt  act  of  the  same  treason  in  the  first  district, 
where  the  offender  was  tried.  Then  the  Judge  delivered 
his  opinion,  condensing  the  four  points  made  by  Botts 
within  the  observations  he  made  on  two  of  them ; 
namely,  power  of  the  Court  under  the  Constitution  and 
the  laws  of  the  United  States,  to  arrest  and  transmit  to  a 
Territory,  which  he  decided  in  the  negative ;  and  the 
effect  of  Burr's  acquittal,  which,  he  hoped,  it  would  not 
be  necessary  for  him  to  decide  upon,  as  he  should  prefer 
a  decision  by  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States. 
It  followed,  as  he  laid  it  down  from  this  adjudication,  that 
the  prosecutors  might  adduce  any  evidence  in  their  power 
to  prove  any  overt  acts  against  us,  Burr  included,  com 
mitted  any  where  in  the  United  States,  to  authorize  him 
to  transmit  us  to  any  district  thereof.  But,  does  it  not 
thence  follow,  that  a  persecuting  and  vindictive  Govern 
ment  may  order  its  attorney  to  harrass  an  obnoxious,  but 
innocent,  victim  of  its  wrath,  by  playing  off  the  farce  of 
a  prosecution  against  him,  in  a  district  of  its  own  selec 
tion,  without  effect,  and  afterward  ruin  him,  by  dragging 
him  through  every  other  district  in  the  Union  ?  "What 


410  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

better  answer  can  be  given  to  this  supposition  tban  say 
ing  such  a  case  is  rendered  improbable,  by  supposing  no 
government  will  be  wicked  enougb  to  contrive  such  a 
villainy  ?  But  this  is  begging  the  question.  I  have  here 
put  a  case,  which  has  not  been  supposed  at  the  bar ;  but, 
with  very  little  alteration,  it  is  our  own  case.  How  long 
is  it  since  the  prosecutors  began  to  digest  all  the  infor 
mation  it  collected  by  the  most  illicit  means,  from  the 
most  foul  sources,  not  of  our  acts,  but  of  our  designs, 
before  we  committed  any  acts?  Did  they  not  order 
prosecutions  fifteen  hundred  miles  from  the  present  ?  Did 
they  not  make  two  selections  of  their  ground,  besides  an 
attempt  at  a  third,  by  Graham,  their  agent,  or  at  his  in 
stance  as  a  spy  and  informer,  in  the  State  of  Ohio,  which 
was  only  avoided  by  my  flight,  and  after  having  failed  in 
all  of  proof,  do  they  not  now  seek  to  drag  us  back  again 
to  the  same  district  where  they  have  already  miscarried 
and  failed  in  every  thing,  but  the  success  of  the  plunder 
and  outrage  committed  on  my  family  and  property,  by 
informers  and  personal  enemies — the  dregs  of  all  the 
human  society — in  my  absence,  when  I  had  incurred  no 
forfeiture  ? 

The  Judge  having  further  declared  the  prosecutors 
might  now  proceed  with  their  evidence,  they  called  up 
James  McDowel,  who  swore  to  some  unimportant  state 
ments,  which,  if  necessary,  we  can  disprove  by  a  dozen 
witnesses.  But  they  attempted  repeatedly  to  go  into 
evidence,  not  only  of  alleged  facts,  but  even  of  declara 
tions  of  third  persons,  to  prove  overt  acts  and  designs 
within  the  United  States  ;  and  the  Judge,  for  reasons  I 
can  not  imagine,  seemed  disposed  to  countenance  the  pro- 


PARTIALITY.  411 

ceeding,  which  is  certainly  in  direct  hostility  with  his 
own  opinion  this  day  delivered ;  unless  as  a  committing 
magistrate,  he  thinks  he  ought  to  indulge  a  greater  lati 
tude  of  investigation  than  he  would  permit  on  a  trial. 
But  to-morrow's  proceedings  will  further  elucidate  these 
matters.  10  o'clock,  P.  M. 

SATURDAY,  SEPTEMBER  19,  1807. 

Strickland  called  upon  me  before  the  sitting  of  the 
Court  this  morning,  to  say  he  should  in  two  hours  set  off 
for  Natchez.  I  wrote  a  short  letter  to  Harding,  to  give 
him  some  account  of  my  situation,  and  tell  him  I  hoped 
the  present  demands  of  the  Government  on  our  persons 
would  he  satisfied  on  Monday ;  after  which,  I  hoped  to 
be  at  Marietta  in  fifteen  or  sixteen  days,  whence  I  should 
proceed  to  Natchez  as  speedily  as  my  affairs  would  per 
mit.  But  I  since  regret  to  find,  from  the  complexion 
of  affairs  in  court  to-day,  that  our  detention  may  yet  ex 
tend  even  to  a  month,  unless  our  counsel  shall  succeed,  in 
efforts  they  will  not  cease  to  make,  to  confine  the  prose 
cutors  within  the  limits  of  the  established  rules  of  evi 
dence,  and  the  adjudications  already  pronounced  by  the 
Court ;  for  this  whole  day  was  spent  in  arguments  and 
altercations  in  violation  of  both.  This  was  chiefly  occa 
sioned  by  the  prosecutors  persisting  in  the  conduct  they 
pursued  yesterday,  which  produced  a  corresponding  op 
position,  which  I  lamented  to  see  the  Judge  not  only 
permit,  but  in  some  degree  participate  in ;  for  instance, 
Dunbaugh  was  allowed  to-day  to  testify  to  facts  at  and 
below  Bayou  Pierre,  while  two  or  three  witnesses  yes 
terday  were  always  stopped,  with  the  concurrence  of 


412  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

the  Court,  as  often  as  they  attempted  to  speak  of  any 
thing  without  the  lines  of  the  United  States.  How  this 
is  reconcilable  with  the  opinion  of  the  Court,  I  have  yet 
to  learn.  Altercations  on  points  already  settled,  or  on  a 
series  of  topics,  where  the  contest  is  a  logomachy,  have 
always  a  narcotic  influence  on  me.  Nor  could  any  sense 
of  the  interest  I  had  in  the  consequences,  or  any  stimulus 
the  ingenuity  of  Wickham  or  Botts  could  apply  to  all 
the  intensity  of  my  admiration  of  their  talents,  prevent 
my  passing  the  day  in  a  sort  of  doze  ?  Burr,  I  observed, 
seemed  so  irritated  with  the  Judge's  apparent  incon 
sistency  with  himself,  that  he  would  not  trust  himself 
to  rise  to  sum  up  and  condense  the  forces  displayed  by 
his  counsel,  into  compact  columns,  after  the  engagement, 
toward  the  close  of  the  day,  as  is  generally  his  practice. 
He  has  no  fear  of  the  final  result,  but  feels  what  a 
mortifying  check  he  has  received. 

SUNDAY,  SEPTEMBER  20,  1807. 

I  proposed  this  morning  to  devote  the  entire  day  to 
writing,  my  attendance  in  court  through  the  week  totally 
preventing  almost  the  whole  of  the  labor  demanded  of 
my  pen.  But  a  solicitude  to  confer  separately  with  Burr 
and  Mercer,  on  the  course  indulged  to  the  prosecutors  by 
the  Court  the  last  two  days,  forced  me  to  go  in  quest  of 
those  so  oppositely  interesting  characters  :  and  the  debts 
yet  unpaid,  that  laid  so  heavy  a  burden  on  my  reflections, 
which  I  wanted  to  discharge  to  Mrs.  Gamble,  Mrs.  Chev 
alier  and  Col.  de  Pestre,  who  had  long  been  confined  with 
the  influenza,  hurried  me  out  of  doors  immediately  after 
breakfast.  I  found  Burr,  just  after  a  consultation  with 


RICHMOND    LADIES.  413 

his  counsel,  secretly  writhing  under  much  irritation  at 
the  conduct  of  the  Judge,  but  affecting  an  air  of  contempt 
for  his  alleged  inconsistency,  as  he  asserted  His  Honor  did 
not  for  two  days  understand  either  the  questions  or  him 
self;  had  wavered  in  his  opinions  "before  yesterday's  ad 
journment,  and  should  in  future  be  put  right  by  strong 
language,  I  am  afraid  to  say  abuse,  though  I  think  I 
could  swear  he  used  that  word,  on  the  part  of  the  de 
fense.  I  observed,  that  though  I  believed  the  Judge's 
the  purest  of  all  human  hearts,  I  could  not,  in  my  best 
judgment,  reconcile  the  latitude  he  permitted  the  prose 
cutors,  either  with  the  letter  or  spirit  of  his  last  opinion 
delivered  on  Friday.  Burr  replied  nothing  to  my  offer 
of  tribute  to  the  Judge's  heart,  but  said  his — Burr's — 
opinion  should  draw  him  back  from  his  deviations  from 
it,  and  he  would  hang  him,  not  so  facetiously,  indeed,  as 
Eaton  swore  he  would  hang  Miranda,  but  upon  every 
comma  of  his  opinion.  He  then  inquired  where  Mercer 
was,  and  expressed  a  strong  desire  to  know  his  thoughts 
on  the  Judge's  late  conduct.  I  answered,  "that  I  had 
come  out  chiefly  to  gratify  the  same  desire,  and  should 
go  directly  to  seek  Mercer."  I  left  Smith  with  him,  and 
took  leave.  I  bent  my  way  to  Mr.  Chevalier's,  to  see  De 
Pestre,  whom  I  found  at  home.  Mrs.  Chevalier  received 
me  very  kindly,  and  prevailed  on  her  husband,  who  was 
confined  to  his  room,  to  come  down  stairs  to  see  me,  and 
beg  of  me  to  partake  of  a  family  dinner  with  them, 
which  I  accepted.  After  an  hour's  conversation,  I  then 
made  a  visit  to  Mrs.  Gamble,  who  seems  a  most  amiable 
old  lady,  and  so  fraught  with  the  generous  humanity 
characteristic  of  her  sex,  as  to  suffer  not  the  connections 


414  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

of  her  daughters,  Mrs.  Cabell,  the  Governor's  wife,  and 
Mrs.  Wirt,  to  prevent  her  expressing  not  merely  a  con 
cern  for  the  general  hardships  we  have  suffered,  but  even 
to  censure  the  last  two  days'  proceedings  in  court.  I  was 
not  fortunate  enough  to  find  Mercer  before  I  returned  to 
Chevalier's  to  dinner,  where  I  spent  a  pleasant  evening, 
save  so  far  as  Mr.  Chevalier  was  not  of  our  company, 
being  confined  to  his  bed.  Mrs.  C.  is  as  lively  and  agree 
able  as  it  is  possible  for  any  woman  to  be  with  limited 
endowments  and  without  beauty.  I  had  an  hour's  inter 
esting  conversation  by  means  of  a  walk  before  tea  with 
De  Pestre  in  the  garden,  which,  however,  touched  on  no 
new  matters,  except  his  informing  me  that  Mrs.  Alston 
had  expressed  to  him  a  wish  that  he  would  engage  in 
nothing  before  next  spring  that  might  prevent  her  father 
from  having  an  opportunity  of  forming  another  connec 
tion  with  him,  conveying  an  intimation  which  he  avoided 
as  delicately  as  he  could.  We  again  harmonized  in  repro 
bation  of  Alston,  in  every  point  of  view,  when  I  hinted  to 
the  Colonel  some  expectations  and  reasons  I  entertained 
for  urging  Burr  or  Alston  to  give  me  an  obligation,  if 
they  can't  raise  money,  for  the  amount  of  my  losses  by 
them,  yet  unsatisfied,  which  he  approved  of.  He  will 
spend  some  time  with  me  to-morrow  evening,  when  we 
will  prosecute  our  thoughts. 

I  visited  Mr.  C.  in  his  bedroom,  after  tea,  for  awhile, 
and  on  my  return  home,  I  learned  from  Smith,  a  confirma 
tion  of  what  De  Pestre  had  already  mentioned  to  me,  that 
Burr  sets  off  immediately  for  England,  after  his  libera 
tion  from  the  present  motion  before  the  Court,  to  collect 
money  for  reorganizing  his  projects,  which  I  nowr  have 


SUSPICIONS.  415 

ascertained  to  be  as  baseless  as  the  interests  of  the  parties 
or  persons  to  whom  he  discloses  them  are  opposed  or 
variant.  For  he  assures  his  creditors  here — at  least  he 
has  done  so  to  Smith — that  when  he  raises  money  in 
England,  he  will  not  be  strict  in  questioning  demands 
upon  him  in  this  country,  which  he  will  fully  discharge. 
In  London,  no  doubt,  he  will  pledge  himself  to  appropri 
ate  every  guinea  they  will  advance  him  to  the  promotion 
of  such  operations  on  this  continent  as  will  best  serve  the 
interests  of  Britain;  and  if  he  had  not  already  exposed 
his  duplicity  and  incapacity  in  his  favorite  art  of  intrigue 
to  Yrujo,  he  would  again  as  readily  promise  to  advance, 
with  Spanish  dollars  and  Spanish  arms,  the  fortunes  of 
the  Spanish  minister  and  his  master.  But  is  it  not  a 
little  strange  that  he  should  have  never  dropped  even  a 
hint  to  me  of  his  projected  trip  to  England.  I  have  had 
more  of  his  confidence  than  either  Smith  or  De  Pestre ; 
for  he  has  insinuated  to  me  that  the  former  was  not  dis 
posed  to  fight  on  the  Mississippi,  when  I  thought  he  had 
the  disposition  not  to  do  so  himself;  and  he  has,  during 
our  embarrassments  on  that  river,  through  Wilkinson, 
spoken,  in  the  presence  of  Major  Smith,  myself,  and 
others,  of  the  probability  of  De  Pestre's  being  hanged, 
through  failure  of  an  enterprise  he  had  sent  him  on,  as 
an  event  which  he  treated  with  the  utmost  indifference. 
Surely  I  may  repeat,  that  whatever  feeling  this  man  pos 
sesses,  is  confined  within  the  sensuality  of  his  tempera 
ment  ;  if  indeed  his  conduct,  in  the  eyes  of  all  who  really 
know  him,  does  not  warrant  the  suspicion  of  Cowles 
Meade,  and  fully  prove,  while  the  whole  bar  as  little 
knew  him  as  Col.  Swartwout,  whose  attachment  is  still 


416  THE    BLENNERHASSETT    PAPERS. 

unshaken,  that  there  is  at  best  but  method  in  his  mad 
ness. 

MONDAY,  SEPTEMBER  21,  1807. 

Dunbaugh  was  reproduced  to-day,  with  no  other  effect 
than  to  contradict  himself,  by  saying  Burr  communicated 
to  him  in  secret  his  having  been  betrayed  by  Wilkinson, 
though  he  swore,  on  Saturday,  Burr  imparted  to  him  no 
secrets.  The  Judge  has  noted  enough  in  this  witness  to 
destroy  all  credit  in  his  testimony.  The  day  passed  in 
the  examination  of  other  witnesses  called  by  prosecutors, 
whose  evidence  was  altogether  favorable  to  us,  though  I 
was  mortified  to  see  the  Judge,  considering  himself  as  an 
examining  magistrate,  open  so  wide  the  door  to  the  wan 
ton  discretion  of  the  prosecutors,  as  to  allow  them  to  offer 
testimony  of  any  sort,  which  they  alleged  to  be  explan 
atory  of  the  so-called  overt  acts  on  Cumberland  Island,  at 
which  place,  it  is  confessed,  the  assemblage,  at  most,  was 
doubtful  or  equivocal  in  its  character.  I  can  not  com 
prehend  the  distinction  taken  by  the  Court  between  ad 
missible  and  operative  evidence;  nor  do  any  of  the  bar 
here,  I  believe,  perceive  how  evidence  that  can  not  oper 
ate  upon  the  subject  be  admissible.  It  seems  to  me,  that 
perhaps  the  Judge  has  at  last  thought  it  necessary  to  sac 
rifice  a  little  to  public  prejudice,  when  the  concession  can 
not  cause  any  serious  consequences  in  the  issue  of  this 
strange  contest.  This  evening  De  Pestre  spent  an  hour 
with  me,  which  was  passed  in  a  more  dilated  view  of  his 
past  concerns  with  Burr.  He  gave  me  a  description  of 
the  manners  and  character  of  Yrujo,  who  is  reconfirmed 
in  his  embassy  to  this  country,  in  spite  of  all  the  efforts 
of  this  Government  for  his  removal.  This  minister  is, 


BURR'S    MANAGEMENT.  417 

according  to  De  Pestre's  portrait  of  him,  a  shrewd  politi 
cian,  who  pierced  the  cohweb  tissues  of  Burr's  intrigues 
with  him  at  a  single  glance.  Though  he  assured  De 
Pestre,  who  was  charged  in  Kentucky,  last  October,  with 
a  special  mission  to  him,  that  had  Burr  opened  his  designs 
with  frankness,  and  really  projected  a  severance  of  the 
Union,  and  nothing  hostile  to  the  Spanish  provinces,  he, 
Burr,  might  have  had  an  easy  resort  to  the  Spanish  treas 
ury  and  its  arsenals,  while  his  confidence  would  have  been 
safely  lodged  in  the  honor  of  a  Spanish  nobleman.  But 
Yrujo  laughed  at  the  awkwardness  with  which  Burr  en 
deavored  to  mask  his  designs  on  Mexico,  and  expressed 
his  concern  for  De  Pestre's  having  lost  his  time  in  such  a 
service.  But  Burr,  if  he  had  capacity  or  money  for  re 
animating  his  projects,  has  lost  a  season  never  to  be 
recalled.  He  might,  last  winter,  have  had  the  whole 
equipage  of  two  French  ships  of  war,  who  offered  to 
bring  their  small  arms  with  them  into  his  services.  If 
he  had  not  talents,  or  spirits  to  use  them,  he  is  where 
he  should  "bje. 

TUESDAY,  SEPTEMBER  22,  1807. 

A  variety  of  witnesses,  examined  to-day  by  the  prosecu 
tors,  seem  to  me  to  advance  their  cause  but  little,  though 
their  newspapers  pretend  they  throw  great  light  on  the 
mysterious  proceedings  of  Burr.  But  his  mysteriousness 
is  surely  an  impenetrable  shield  to  cover  his  treasonable 
designs,  if  he  had  any.  I  have  seen  a  complete  file  of  all 
the  depositions  made  before  the  grand  jury  in  Burr's  pos 
session.  It  must  be  confessed  tbat  few  other  men  in  his 

circumstances  could  have  procured  these  documents  out 

27 


418 


THE    BLENNERHASSETT    PAPERS. 


of  the  custody  of  offices  filled  by  his  inveterate  enemies. 
I  have  long  been  at  a  loss  to  imagine  the  means  he  used, 
of  which  I  am  not  yet  fully  informed.    But  I  have  learned 
accidentally  that  Skelton  Jones  has  become  friendly  to 
him.     This  Jones,  a  noted  duelist,  the  brother  of  the  late 
Reviewer,  and  he  who  formerly  conducted  the  Examiner, 
an  influential  Democrat,  I  am  told,  received  a  letter  some 
time   since   from   Burr,   covering   a  bank-note,   without 
specifying  for  what  purpose  the  money  was  sent.     Jones 
returned  it,  with  civil  remonstrance,  which  gave  Burr  an 
opportunity  of  requesting  an  interview,  which,  if  it  did 
not  succeed  in  removing  the  easy  scruples  of  this  honor 
able  patriot,  has,  however,  since  that  event,  completely 
attached  Mr.  J.'s  interest,  as  I  have  learned  from  a  Mr. 
Braxton,  a  young  lawyer  here  of  some  talents.     Burr  has 
again  asserted  to-day,  in  court,  that  he  expects,  by  the 
mail,  documents  to  enable  him  to  show  that  Eaton  must 
be  an  incompetent  witness  in  any  court.     This,  if  estab 
lished,  will  give  the  coup  de  grace  to  the  fame  of  the  Der- 
nean  hero,  who,  I  am  assured  by  Robison,  has  sworn  the 
peace  against  a  Mr.  Smith,  of  Petersburgh,  who  threat 
ened  to  kick  this  General  out  of  the  room;  and  yet  he 
appears  every  day  in  court,  affecting  by  his  looks  an  air  of 
defiance.     Wilkinson  also  exhibits  his  boasted  arrogance, 
sometimes  in  the  same  place.     But  his  examination  can 
not  come  on  for  some  days.     When  it  takes  place,  it  must 
be  of  the  highest  interest  in  the  eyes  of  those  who,  know 
ing  his  character  and  the  insidiously  artful  deposition  he 
has  made  before  the  grand  jury,  will  contemplate  a  spec 
tacle  of  depravity  seldom  equaled ;    while  such  a  sum 
mons  to  the  address,  I  will  not  yet  add  the  firmness  of 


SANDY   HENDERSON.  419 

Burr,  will  leave  no  nerve  untouched.  But  /may  venture 
to  predict  that  Burr  will  sink  under  it.  For,  apart  from 
the  merits  or  demerits  of  either,  there  are  reasons  why  it 
should  be  so  in  this  country,  if  not  in  any  other  upon 
earth,  which  I  will  unfold  at  large  hereafter.  I  find  by  D. 
Woodbridge,  many  people  have  died  at  Marietta,  within 
two  months  past,  of  a  malignant  disease  prevailing  there. 
Did  God's  mercy  place  us  elsewhere  ?  Midnight. 

WEDNESDAY,  SEPTEMBER  23,  1807. 

It  chiefly  engaged  my  attention  in  court  to-day  to  hear 
Burr  contend,  that  conversations  by  me  with  others, 
respecting  him  while  he  was  absent,  and  prior  to  the 
period  of  any  alleged  acts,  should  not  affect  him.  This 
attempt  was  made  to  obviate  the  effect  he  apprehended 
from  the  testimony  of  the  Hendersons  ;  but  the  Judge  was 
pleased  to  overrule  it.  Woodbridge  has  expressed  some 
wish  to  be  discharged,  and  return  with  Belknap  to  Mari 
etta,  but  assures  me  he  will  still  wait  until  the  whole 
affair  is  finished,  or  while  he  can  be  of  any  service  to  me. 
I  have  begged  he  may  not,  observing,  his  being  my  bail 
need  not  detain  him ;  and  have  told  him,  at  the  same 
time,  to  take  no  trouble  on  my  account,  etc.  He  seems 
satisfied,  as  I  have  informed  him  of  the  fact  of  General 
Dayton  having  gone  to  Ohio,  though  not  discharged  from 
his  recognizance. 

THURSDAY,  SEPTEMBER  24,  1807. 

This  morning  I  was  treated  to  the  narrative  of  Sandy 
Henderson,  which  is  considered  to  bear  more  particularly 
on  me  than  any  other  testimony.  I  had  projected  a  long 


420  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

cross-examination  of  him,  which  I  should  have  pursued 
with  good  effect,  but  our  counsel  feared  it  might  operate 
quite  contrary  to  my  expectations  from  the  uniform  ex 
perience  they  have,  that  within  these  virtuous   States, 
when  once  witnesses  determine  to  swear  for  a  purpose, 
all  attempts  to  involve  them  in  inconsistency  only  tend 
to  render  them  more  desperate.     I  therefore  agreed  to 
postpone  my  cross-examination  until  the  next  day,  that  I 
might,  in  the  meaii  time,  confer  with  Mr.  Wickham  on 
the  subject,  as  he  feared,  I  suppose,  that  something  might 
break  out  injurious  to  Burr,  through  my  pressing  Hender 
son  ;  and  Mr.  Botts,  from  his'  connection  with  that  family, 
wished  to  be  excused  from  taking  any  part  in  this  exam 
ination.     I  had  here  another  check,  from  the  obligations 
Mr.  Botts  has  already  imposed  upon  me.     But  I  assured 
him  I  had  discovered  his  connection  too  late  to  prevent 
his  having  been  concerned  for  me.     It  was  yesterday  I 
should  have  mentioned  as  having  seen  Henderson  first 
called,  and   in  consequence   of  the   difficulties  affecting 
Wickham  on  account  of  Burr,  and  myself  on  account  of 
Botts,  I  last  night  drew  up  a  series  of  interrogatories, 
which  I  wished  Henderson  to  answer  upon  affidavit  by 
consent,  with  which  I  called  upon  Wickham  in  the  even 
ing.     He  also  conferred  with  Burr  upon  them ;  all  ap 
proved  of  the  questions,  but  still  feared  the  effect  of  them, 
from  the  apprehended  hostility  of  the  witness;  so  that 
we  concluded  on  one  only  of  them,  which  we  put  to  him 
this  morning  in  court:  namely,  "whether,  at  the  time  of 
my  alleged  communications  to  him,  he  did  not,  and  doth 
not  yet,  entertain  a  strong  prejudice  against  Col.  Burr?" 
which  he  answered  in  the  affirmative.     I  met  this  even- 


MORE    EVIDENCE.  421 

ing  with  an  introduction,  at  the  Harmonic  Society,  to  a 
very  handsome  woman,  a  Mrs.  Meyio,  who  has  been  too 
many  years  a  widow,  though  I  hear  she  is  soon  to  be 
married.  I  mention  her  as  being  the  niece  of  the  amia 
ble  and  highly  esteemed  Mrs.  Carrington,  whom  I  have 
not  yet  visited  to  thank  her  for  her  generous  offer,  more 
than  once  made  through  Mercer,  to  send  me  refresh 
ments  to  the  Penitentiary.  I  took  a  part  in  a  quartette 
of  Haydn's,  and  in  a  glee,  and  returned  home  after  mid 
night. 

FRIDAY,  SEPTEMBER  25, 1807. 

Yesterday,  John  Henderson  gave  his  testimony  to  the 
same  effect  Sandy  had  done,  and  underwent  little  or  no 
examination.  John  Graham  also  delivered  his  to  the 
same  purport  with  that  he  gave  against  me,  before  Toul- 
min  and  Rodney.  But,  in  cross-examining  him,  I  asked 
him  to  say  "  who  was  to  pay  the  $1,000  for  forfeiting  his 
recognizance  to  appear  to  prosecute  me  in  the  Mississippi 
Territory:"  he  applied  to  the  Court  to  be  excused  answer 
ing  this  question ;  denied  he  had  applied  to  Col.  Scott  to 
invite  A.  Burr  to  his  house  to  dinner  to  have  him  kid 
napped,  and  said,  he  has  got  his  present  office  of  chief 
clerk  in  the  Secretary  of  State's  office,  lately.  To-day, 
after  consultation  with  our  counsel,  I  agree  to  waive  ob 
jections  I  had  offered  against  reading  the  "Querist"  in 
print,  or  Henderson's  evidence  of  my  having  shown  him 
only  a  manuscript  of  a  composition  by  me  with  such 
signature.  The  reading  of  the  fourth  number  by  the 
prosecutors,  with  examination  of  Dana  and  Gilmore, 
finished  the  day. 


422  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

f  ^ 

SATURDAY,  SEPTEMBER  26,  1807. 

To-day,  the  long-expected  examination  of  Wilkinson 
came  on,  after  that  of  Eaton,  upon  matter  and  conversa 
tions  between  him  and  Burr,  which  had  been  excluded  as 
improper  evidence  on  the  trial-in-chief,  but  was  now 
thought  admissible  before  the  Judge  as  an  examining 
magistrate.  I  have  taken,  I  believe,  faithful  notes  of 
every  thing  that  fell  from  both  of  these  persons,  by  which 
it  will  appear  that  Eaton's  testimony  is  indefinite  as  to 
any  bearing  that  it  should  have  upon  Burr's  designs, 
without  seeking  for  those  inconsistencies  with  his  former 
story  before  the  grand  jury,  and  on  the  trial-in-chief, 
which  Martin,  under  the  signature  of  "  Investigator,"  is 
endeavoring  to  establish  in  the  Virginia  Gazette  here. 
The  General  exhibited  the  manner  of  a  serjeant  under  a 
court-martial,  rather  than  the  demeanor  of  an  accusing 
officer  confronted  with  his  culprit.  His  perplexity  and 
derangement,  even  upon  his  direct  examination,  has 
placed  beyond  all  doubt  "  his  honor  as  a  soldier,  and  his 
fidelity  as  a  citizen."  It  will  appear  from  the  gauntlet 
he  has  begun  to  run,  which  he  will  not  finish  before 
Monday  evening,  that  he  has  confessed  he  altered  a  du 
plicate  of  the  original  cipher  letter  for  the  express  purpose 
of  erasing  from  it  an  acknowledgment  by  Burr,  of 
Burr's  having  received  a  letter  from  him,  Wilkinson,  of 
the  27th  of  February  ;  that  this  was  done  for  the  avowed 
purpose  of  concealing  from  the  Legislature  of  Orleans  a 
part  of  that  letter,  from  which  that  body  might  infer  that 
he  was  privy  to,  or  concerned  in,  the  projects  of  Burr; 
that  he  substituted  other  words  in  '  the  room  of  the 


ADJOURNMENT.  423 

erasure  as  a  translation  of  the  erased  ciphers  afterward,' 
but  at  what  time  he  could  not  recollect ;  that  the  transla 
tion  of  the  document  sent  to  Government  was  from  this 
mutilated  original ;  and  that  he  had  sworn,  by  an  affidavit 
he  produced  himself  in  court,  that  such  translation  faith 
fully  rendered  the  substance  of  the  original.  On  the 
other  hand,  Burr,  who  was  very  unwell,  preserved  a  com 
posure,  inspired  by  Wilkinson's  self-condemnation,  and 
supported  by  his  indisposition,  contrary  to  the  expecta 
tions  I  had  formed  a  few  days  past.  The  cross-examina 
tion  progressed  but  a  little  way,  and  was  adjourned  until 
Monday.  Yesterday  evening,  Woodbridge  called  upon 
me  in  the  most  abrupt  manner,  to  repeat  to  me  what  he 
had  before  observed  on  Wednesday  evening,  that  he  was 
very  desirous  to  return  home,  and  hoped  I  would  that 
evening  look  out  for  other  bail.  But  he  hardly  allowed 
me  time  to  answer,  "  that  I  would,  and  whether  I  suc 
ceeded  or  not,  I  wished  him  not  to  stay  a  moment  on  my 
account,"  before  he  had  the  unfeeling  ingratitude  to  add, 
"  that  if  I  did  not,  he  should  give  me  up  in  the  morning." 
I  was  accordingly  prepared  on  the  opening  of  the  court 
this  morning,  to  state  to  the  Judge,  "  that  Mr.  Wood- 
bridge  was  about  to  be  discharged ;  but  previous  to  his 
leaving  town  he  wished  also  to  be  discharged  from  the 
recognizance  he  had  entered  into  on  my  account,  for 
reasons  I  did  not  inquire  into;  that  it  thence  became 
necessary  I  should  find  other  securities,  or  be  recommitted, 
of  which  I  should  prefer  the  latter,  rather  than  solicit 
bail  in  a  place  where  I  was  almost  an  utter  stranger. 
But  I  believe  two  citizens  of  this  place  were  voluntarily 
attending,  for  the  purpose  of  entering  with  me  into 


424  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

another  recognizance.      John  Banks  and  a  Mr.  A 

then  were  called  forward,  and  thus  ended,  I  wish  I  could 
say  my  last  concern,  with  the  Woodbridge  family.  Of 
Dudley,  it  must  not  he  concealed,  that  although  he  is 
reputed  to  have  given  a  fair,  candid,  and  to  us  advan 
tageous  testimony,  he  has  not  yet  told  the  whole  truth- 
having  suppressed  my  communication  to  him  of  our 
designs  being  unequivocally  against  Mexico,  which  I 
suppose  he  kept  back,  because  he  embraced  and  em 
barked  in  the  plan  on  the  first  mention  of  it  to  him, 
though  he  afterward  receded  from  it,  upon  his  own  re 
flections  or  the  counsels  of  others.* 

SUNDAY,  DECEMBER  27,  1807. 

While  at  breakfast,  this  morning,  I  received  a  verbal 
message  from  Burr,  importing  that  he  wanted  to  see  me. 
On  my  arrival  soon  after  at  his  house,  I  found  him  in 
bed.  He  informed  me  he  wanted  to  see  me,  to  know 
what  I  would  advise  him  to  do  in  his  complaint,  observ 
ing,  he  had  no  confidence  in  the  physicians  here.  I  sug 
gested  to  him  my  being  of  the  same  opinion,  unless  I 
excepted  McClung,  whom  I  believed  to  be  a  man  of  some 
genius,  and  probably  possessing  considerable  skill  in  his 
profession.  Burr  said  he  was  a  creature  of  rule;  and 
calling  again  for  my  opinion,  I  said  I  would  have  some 
pills  made  up  for  him,  which  he  could  take  for  two  or 
three  nights.  I  left  him  to  go  to  the  druggist's,  where  I 
had  the  medicine  carefully  prepared,  which  I  sent  him 


*  The  integrity  and  respectability  of  Mr.  Woodbridge  is  undoubted  by  all  who  knew  him. 
From  a  personal  acquaintance  for  some  years  previous  to  his  death,  I  am  enabled  to  add,  that 
euch  was  the  purity  of  his  character,  through  a  long  and  useful  career,  as  to  stamp  with  un- 
iruthfulness  any  reflection  upon  his  honor  as  a  man  or  his  veracity  as  a  witness. 


INTERVIEW   SOLICITED.  425 

about  two  o'clock,  accompanied  with  a  note  conveying 
directions  for  his  diet,  and  the  use  of  the  medicine.  I 
called  there  again  in  the  evening  to  see  him ;  hut  while  I 
was  engaged  in  the  parlor  with  several  persons,  where 
Martin  was  reading  to  us  a  heavy  manuscript  of  his  next 
Investigator,  I  found  on  going  into  Burr's  bedroom,  soon 
after  Martin  had  done,  that  he  had  just  taken,  instead  of 
my  medicine,  a  dose  of  laudanum.  He  said  he  felt  so 
weak,  and  was  in  such  want  of  rest,  he  thought  it  best  to 
take  an  opiate.  I  told  him  he  must  then  omit  my  pills 
for  this  night,  wished  him  good  rest,  and  took  leave. 
On  my  return  to  the  parlor,  Baker  told  me  a  Mr.  Smith, 
who  knew  my  family  in  Ireland,  and  might  probably 
recognize  me,  solicited  him  to  bring  us  together.  "He 
should  accordingly  bring  Mr.  Smith,  with  my  leave,  to 
my  lodgings."  I  assented,  and  thanked  him.  He  also 
acquainted  me  that  Mrs.  Broughenbrough,  commonly 
called  Brokenberry  here,  who  is  regarded  as  the  nearest 
approximation  in  this  town  to  a  savante  and  bel-esprit,  has 
expressed  no  small  solicitude,  and  has  insisted  that  Hay 
will  enable  her  to  read  the  "  Querist,"  which  is  much 
praised  here.  Martin  boasts  of  the  fourth  number,  not  a 
little,  as  a  piece  of  argumentation  which  the  prosecutors 
had  better  conceal  from  the  public,  while  they  wish  to 
keep  them  uninformed  on  the  merits  of  the  question  re 
specting  a  severance  of  the  Union.  Martin  has  also 
assured  me  Judge  Tucker,  though  a  violent  Democrat, 
seriously  contended  at  a  party,  with  Judge  Marshall,  in 
this  town  since  May  last,  that  any  State  in  the  Union  is 
at  any  time  competent  to  recede  from  the  same,  though 
Marshall  strongly  opposed  this  doctrine.  I  find  Robin- 


426  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

son,  the  only  correct  stenographer,  who  takes  exact  notes 
of  all  the  proceedings  at  the  capitol,  and  is  besides  a 
scholar,  who  understands  five  or  six  languages,  will  give 
the  "  Querist  "  a  longer  life  by  incorporating  it  in  his  book 
than  it  was  likely  to  enjoy  in  the  barren  soil  of  the  "  Ohio 
Gazette,"  where  it  appeared  to  bloom  but  as  an  humble 
flower,  and  trampled  under  the  feet  of  the  sovereign  peo 
ple.  Baker  is  a  young  lawyer,  whom  Burr  employs, 
more  for  the  benefit  of  his  influence  out  of  doors  than 
from  the  aid  of  talents  or  services  in  court,  where  he  is 
only  of  use  through  his  humor  and  the  freedom  with 
which  he  lavishes  his  abuse.  I  believe  he  possesses  as 
good  a  heart  as  is  permitted  to  a  Democrat,  and  his 
spirits  and  popularity  are  perhaps,  in  effect,  as  valuable 
to  Burr  as  the  talents  of  "Wickham  or  Botts. 

MONDAY,  SEPTEMBER  25,  1807. 

I  had,  this  morning,  a  long  double  letter  from  my 
adored  wife.  Its  red  seal  was  as  welcome  to  my  eyes 
as  the  evening  star  to  the  mariner  after  the  agitation  of 
a  storm.  For  I  had,  last  week,  suffered  no  small  anxiety 
from  the  want  of  a  letter.  But  the  seal,  notwithstanding 
its  color,  and  every  curve  and  turn  of  the  letters  in  the 
superscription,  had  long  passed  under  jealous  inspection, 
to  undergo  every  scrutiny  from  which  I  could  augur  the 
import  of  the  intelligence  within,  before  I  would  venture 
to  break  it  open.  But  I  was  assured  by  the  seal  there 
was  no  mortality,  at  least  on  the  -5th  ult.,  as  by  the  post 
mark.  I  trust,  then,  the  heartfelt  offerings  of  thanksgiv 
ing  I  tried  to  breathe  forth  to  Heaven  were  borne  to 
Almighty  God,  before  I  consulted  the  contents  of  the 


DREAMS.  427 

letter.  There  I  soon  saw  how  industriously  my  beloved 
continued  to  practice  the  only  fraud  her  pure  soul  is  capa 
ble  of  conceiving — that  of  endeavoring  to  hide  from  me 
all  she  feels  for  me,  and  has  suffered  for  our  dear  boys. 
Her  complaint  in  her  chest  is  mentioned  in  a  way  to  alarm 
me,  through  the  vail  of  disguise  she  has  attempted  to 
throw  over  it.  But  the  weekly  reports  she  will  not  fail 
to  see  of  the  criminal  proceedings  here,  will,  I  trust, 
lighten  much  of  the  anxiety  she  labors  under,  which,  I 
know,  so  much  aggravates  the  affection  in  her  breast.  I 
next  find  my  boys  have,  both  of  them,  had  fevers ;  and 
my  dear  Harman,  who  has  suffered  most,  was  perhaps  at 
the  height  of  his  disease,  about  the  period  when  I  last 
dreamed  I  had  lost  him,  and  has  perhaps  been  spared  to 
us,  through  the  merits  of  his  incomparable  mother,  which 
have  not  been  beheld  with  the  less  favor  of  Providence, 
while  I  was  offering  up  my  prayers,  in  the  Penitentiary, 
for  his  preservation.  I  have,  I  find,  in  concluding  my 
notes  of  the  2d  inst.,  observed,  I  again  dreamt  I  had  lost 
my  Harman.  Did  my  first  dream  of  his  irrecoverable 
injury  from  a  dog  typify  the  disease  of  which  he  was  to 
suffer  ?  and  did  my  second  dream,  which  was  visited  upon 
me  in  the  Penitentiary,  a  night  or  two  before  I  noted  it  on« 
the  2d  inst.,  come  upon  me  as  another  vision  to  announce, 
perhaps,  a  relapse  he  has  undergone,  since  his  mother's 
letter  of  the  25th  ult.  was  written.  These  things  are 
only  known  to  the  Eternal  and  All-wise  Dispenser  of 
our  mortality.  But  while  reason  shall  continue  my  only 
guide  to  faith,  I  will  yet  wonder  in  mysterious  awe  of 
such  dreams  as  these,  which  my  understanding  can  not 
scan,  while  they  appal  my  heart.  If  I  shall  be  blessed 


428  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

with  the  sight  of  another  red  seal  riext  Monday,  I  shall 
put  off  a  heavy  burden  of  anxiety  which  now  oppresses 
me.  The  Court  does  not  sit  to-day,  on  account  of  Burr's 
illness.  I  find  he  is  much  worse  than  yesterday.  He  says 
he  will  take  my  medicine  to-night,  and  has  rejected  bleed 
ing,  proposed  to  him  by  McClung,  in  which  I  fully  agreed 
with  him  that  he  should  not  part  with  his  blood,  even  at 
a  Joe  a  drop.  I  called  upon  De  Pestre,  this  morning,  at 
Mr.  Chevalier's,  where  Mr.  C.  kindly  pressed  me  to  dine 
en  famille,  which  I  declined,  through  a  desire  to  write  at 
home  and  attend  a  private  quartette-party  at  the  Har 
monic  Society's  room  this  evening.  The  invitation  of 
Chevalier  was  given  in  the  most  friendly  manner,  with  a 
reprobation  of  the  restriction  imposed  on  the  hospitable 
dispositions  of  the  families  of  this  town  by  the  effects  of 
a  system  of  espionage,  which  is  kept  up  by  Government 
and  its  agents  to  a  degree  that  has  generally  prevented 
those  attentions  we  should  otherwise  receive.  This  must 
be  the  case,  as  I  have  not  received  a  visit  from  any  family- 
man,  much  less  an  invitation,  since  my  release  from  im 
prisonment,  though  Mr.  Pickett,  who  lives  in  the  first 
style  here,  informed  my  landlord,  Walton,  the  other  day, 
he  means  to  invite  me  to  his  house.  So  that  etiquette 
seems  also  to  be  totally  disregarded ;  and,  no  doubt,  here, 
as  in  other  countries,  a  want  of  better  breeding  is  received 
by  strangers  as  a  proof  of  inhospitality  not  merited. 

TUESDAY,  SEPTEMBER  29,  1807. 

±Jurr  took  my  medicine  last  night  as  he  promised, 
rested  well,  and  is  much  better  this  morning.  But  he 
has  prudently  declined  attending  court,  though  he  is  evi- 


CORRUPTION.  429 

dently  mortified,  he  is  not  able  to  witness  the  progress  of 
his  recrimination  of  Wilkinson,  conducted  by  his  counsel, 
in  which  he  is  so  desirous  to  take  a  part,  especially  as 
Botts  has  retired  to  Fredericksburg,  to  attend  to  other 
professional  calls  upon  him.  I  perused  this  morning,  at 
Burr's,  some  interesting  documents,  forwarded  to  him 
from  New  Orleans  by  Ed.  Livingston  and  Alexander,  all 
tending  to  overtake  Wilkinson  with  a  portion  of  that  re 
tributive  justice  he  has  so  fairly  earned.  Of  these  papers, 
I  trust  the  Chief  Justice,  in  the  spirit  of  that  latitude  he 
has  so  liberally  permitted  to  the  prosecutors,  will,  as  an 
examining  magistrate,  allow  the  affidavits  of  Derbigeny 
and  Mercier  to  be  read,  as  both  go  to  prove  the  Bri 
gadier's  corruption  in  having  received  from  Carondelet, 
in  1796,  a  douceur  of  $9,000  at  Cincinnati,  which,  added 
to  every  thing  else  that  will  appear  against  him,  should 
surely  settle  his  integrity  and  credit,  if  not  his  admissi- 
bility  as  a  witness.*  On  opening  of  the  court,  Graham 


*  John  Mercier,  jun.,  of  the  city  of  New  Orleans,  being  duly  sworn, 
maketh  oath,  that  he  was  one  of  the  clerks  in  the  office  of  the  Governor 
in  the  time  of  the  Spanish  dominion,  during  a  period  of  nine  years,  from 
the  year  1792  to  the  year  1801.  That  while  this  deponent  was  employed 
in  the  said  office,  to-wit,  in  the  years  1795  and  1796,  a  secret  correspond 
ence  was  carried  on  in  cipher  between  the  said  Governor,  then  the  Baron 
de  Carondelet,  and  some  person  of  note,  who  then  was  in  the  western  part 
of  the  United  States,  and,  as  this  deponent  believes,  on  the  waters  of  the 
Ohio.  That  this  deponent  had  no  certain  knowledge  of  the  name  of  the 
said  person,  but  that  it  was  a  matter  of  notoriety,  among  those  who  were 
employed  in  the  said  office,  that  the  said  person  was  General  Wilkinson. 
That  this  deponent  was  intrusted  with  the  care  or  charge  of  deciphering 
some  of  the  letters  which  were  received  from  the  said  person,  and  of  copy 
ing  some  of  the  answers  which  were  made  to  them  by  the  Governor.  That 
the  cipher  was  understood  by  means  of  a  small  English  dictionary ;  and 
that  so  far  as  this  deponent  now  recollects,  the  number  of  the  page  and 
the  line  where  the  word  wras  in  the  dictionary  was  made  use  of,  instead 


430  THE    BLENNERIIASSETT    PAPERS. 

voluntarily  came  forward  to  explain  a  part  of  his  testi 
mony,  and,  I  know  not  why,  was  pleased  to  declare  I  had 
told  him  at  Marietta,  "that  both  Burr  and  myself  per 
ceived  the  people  were  not  ripe  for  a  severance  of  the 
Union;  that  we  should  not  hurry  it,  as  it  would  take 
place  from  natural  causes  of  itself,  and  we  had  no  per- 

of  the  word  itself.  That  this  deponent  very  well  recollects  that  the  project 
treated  of  in  the  said  correspondence  was  the  dismembering  of  the  West 
ern  States  and  Territories  from  the  Union,  but  that  he  is  not  able  to  recol 
lect  the  particulars.  And  this  deponent  further  swears,  that  some  time 
toward  the  end  of  the  year  1795,  Mr.  Thomas  Power,  who  was  employed 
as  the  confidential  agent  of  the  Spanish  Government  for  this  secret  nego 
tiation,  was  intrusted  with  a  sum  of  nine  thousand  dollars,  or  thereabouts, 
destined  for  the  said  person,  which  sum  was  delivered  to  the  said  Power, 
in  the  office  of  the  Governor,  in  the  presence  of  this  deponent.  That  the 
said  Power  set  off  with  it,  and,  as  this  deponent  believes,  with  the  dis 
patches  which  were  prepared  on  that  occasion  for  the  said  person. 

J.  MERCIER. 
Sworn  before  me  at  New  Orleans,  the  31st  August,  1807 

BONAMF,  Justice  of  the  Peace. 

John  McPonaugh,  jun.,  being  duly  sworn,  doth  depose,  that  some  time 
in  the  month  of  March,  in  the  year  1804,  General  Wilkinson  consulted  with 
this  deponent,  as  a  commission  merchant,  on  the  probability  of  sugar  or 
cotton  shipped  from  this  country  to  the  Atlantic  ports  turning  to  advan 
tage.  The  advice  of  this  deponent  was,  to  ship  sugars  in  preference;  upon 
which  the  General  requested  this  deponent  to  purchase  for  him  sugars  to 
the  amount  of  nine  or  ten  thousand  dollars,  payable  in  cash.  This  depo 
nent,  accoi'dingly,  purchased  for  the  General,  through  Messrs.  Dusan  and 
Dubourg,  brokers,  one  hundred  and  seven  hogsheads  of  sugar,  and  char 
tered  the  ship  Louisiana,  in  which  the  General  took  his  passage,  to  transport 
it  to  New  York,  the  said  sugar  being  shipped  on  the  sole  risk  and  account 
of  the  General.  That  the  amount  of  the  said  sugar,  as  invoiced,  was  eight 
thousand  and  forty-five  dollars  and  thirty-five  cents ;  and  this  deponent 
gave  the  General  a  bill  of  exchange  on  New  York  for  one  thousand  dollars, 
the  sugars  not  amounting  to  the  sums  which  the  General  risked  to  be  in 
vested  in  them.  That  the  amount  of  the  said  two  sums,  being  $9,045  35, 
was  paid  to  this  deponent  by  the  General,  in  Mexican  dollars,  and  that 
some  of  the  bags  containing  the  said  money  were  Mexican  bags,  such  as 
come  from  Vera  Cruz ;  and  this  deponent  recollects  that  the  said  purchase 
excited  at  the  time  much  speculation  among  the  American  inhabitants  of 


COMPARISONS.  431 

sonal  interest  in  the  event."  Then  came  on  the  little 
Brigadier,  whose  demeanor,  to-day,  was  no  doubt  as  op 
posite  to  that  arrogance  in  which  he  strutted  at  Orleans, 
during  the  reign  of  his  brief  authority,  as  was  the  car 
riage  of  Dionysius  at  Corinth,  compared  with  his  royal 
port  before  at  Syracuse.  But  I  should  not  have  degraded 

New  Orleans,  as  to  the  resources  of  the  General  which  enabled  him  to  pay 
so  large  a  sum  of  money  in  cash;  and  the  Governor  himself,  some  time 
after  the  departure  of  the  General,  spoke  to  this  deponent  upon  the  subject, 
appearing  to  be  desirous  of  ascertaining  the  amount  of  the  sugars  which 
had  been  purchased,  and  the  means  by  which  the  General  had  been  enabled 
to  pay  for  them.  JOHN  McDoNAUGH,  JUN. 

Sworn  before  me,  this  4th  September,  1807,  at  the  city  of  New  Orleans. 

JOHN  LYND,  Justice  of  the  Peace. 

Peter  Derbigeny,  of  New  Orleans,  Counselor-at-Law,  being  sworn  on 
the  Holy  Evangelist  of  Almighty  God,  deposeth,  that  some  time  in  the  year 
1796,  this  deponent  being  then  a  resident  at  New  Madrid,  on  the  Missis 
sippi,  Mr.  Thomas  Power,  then  employed  by  the  Spanish  Government  on  a 
private  agency,  went  up  the  Ohio  as  far  as  Cincinnati,  as  this  deponent 
was  told,  and  returned  some  time  afterward  to  New  Madrid,  in  quest  of  a 
sum  of  money,  which  was  delivered  to  him  by  Dr.  Thomas  Portall,  the  then 
commandant  of  that  post.  That  this  deponent  was  informed  by  a  Spanish 
officer,  on  whose  veracity  he  had  every  reason  to  depend,  that  the  said 
money  was  destined  for  General  Wilkinson,  who  was  in  secret  correspond 
ence  with  the  Spanish  Government.  That  Mr.  Thomas  Power,  in  order  to 
conceal  the  said  money,  which  was,  as  far  as  this  deponent  can  recollect, 
a  sum  of  nine  thousand  dollars,  or  thereabouts,  bought  from  this  deponent 
some  barrels  of  sugar  and  coffee,  in  the  center  of  which  the  said  money 
was  packed  up  in  small  bags  which  were  made  for  that  purpose  in  this 
deponent's  family.  That  after  these  preparations  were  gone  through,  Mr. 
T.  Power  set  off  on  his  way  back  to  Cincinnati;  and  that,  on  said  Power's 
return  from  thence,  this  deponent  was  told  that  the  said  money  had  arrived 
safe,  and  had  been  delivered  to  General  Wilkinson.  And  this  deponent 
further  saith,  that  shortly  after  the  surrender  of  Louisiana  to  the  United 
States,  a  rumor  having  circulated  that  General  Wilkinson  had  shipped  in 
the  vessel  in  which  he  returned  to  the  Atlantic  States  a  large  quantity  of 
sugar,  the  price  of  which  he  had  paid  him  in  dollars  lately  coined,  con 
tained  in  bags  not  yet  unsewed,  and  such  as  they  are  when  sent  from  the 
Spanish  mint,  this  deponent  grew  suspicious  that  it  was  again  money  paid 
by  the  Spanish  treasury  to  General  Wilkinson,  and  felt  it  his  duty  toward 


432  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

the  fortunes  of  that  tyrant  by  a  comparison  with  this 
urchin.  I  continue  to  take  notes  of  his  testimony  to  his 
own  turpitude,  which  I  shall  not  transcribe  here,  as  they 
may  be  seen  among  my  papers,  by  my  friends.  But  it  is 
here  I  shotfld  observe,  that  the  address  of  Wickham,  in 
conducting  the  cross-examination  to-day,  was  masterly 
and  ingenious,  not  only  in  regard  to  the  witness,  but  to 
the  Administration  which  so  embarrassed  Hay,  as  well  as 
the  General,  that  it  would  be  impossible  to  say  which  of 
them  most  heartily  welcomed  a  sudden  adjournment,  in 


the  Government,  to  whom  he  had  of  late  sworn  allegiance,  to  inform  the 
Governor  of  this  province  of  the  facts  to  him  known  concerning  the  money 
sent  up  to  General  Wilkinson  in  1796;  that  Governor  Claiborne  then  re 
quested  this  deponent  to  write  to  the  President  of  the  United  States  on  the 
subject;  that  this  deponent  wrote  accordingly  to  the  President  of  the 
United  States,  and  delivered  his  letter  into  the  hands  of  Gov.  Claiborne, 
after  having  shown  him  the  contents,  which  he  approved  of;  and  that,  as 
the  said  letter  was  not  signed,  this  deponent,  by  the  advice  of  Gov.  Clai 
borne,  mentioned  therein  to  the  President  that  he  might  know  the  name 
of  the  writer  from  Gov.  Claiborne  himself,  if  he  should  wish  it. 

And  this  deponent  further  swears,  that  in  the  winter  of  1804  to  1805, 
this  deponent  being  then  at  Washington  City,  in  the  capacity  of  a  deputy 
from  the  inhabitants  of  Louisiana  to  Congress,  jointly  with  Messrs.  Dos- 
trehan  and  Sawis,  he  was  introduced  to  Col.  Burr,  then  Vice-President  of 
the  United  States,  by  General  Wilkinson,  who  strongly  recommended  to 
this  deponent,  and,  as  he  believes,  to  his  colleagues,  to  cultivate  the  ac 
quaintance  of  Col.  Burr,  whom  he  used  to  call  "  the  first  gentleman  in 
America;"  telling  them  that  he  was  a  man  of  the  most  eminent  talents, 
both  as  a  politician  and  as  a  military  character ;  and  this  deponent  further 
swears,  that  General  Wilkinson  told  him,  several  times,  that  Col.  Burr,  so 
soon  as  his  Vice-Presidency  would  be  at  an  end,  would  go  to  Louisiana, 
where  he  had  certain  projects ;  adding,  that  he  was  such  a  man  as  to  suc 
ceed  in  any  thing  he  would  undertake,  and  inviting  this  deponent  to  give 
him  all  the  information  in  his  power  respecting  that  country ;  which  mys 
terious  hints  appeared  to  this  deponent  very  extraordinary,  though  he 
could  not  then  understand  them.  P.  DERBIGENY. 

Sworn  before  me,  at  New  Orleans,  the  27th  of  August,  1807. 

BONAMY,  Justice  of  the  Peace. 


SHORT-SIGHTEDNESS.  433 

wliich  Hay  hastily  sought  the  only  retreat  that  was  left 
to  his  confusion.  The  Judge  had  hardly  risen  from  the 
bench,  when  a  general  buzz  about  Wilkinson's  embarrass 
ment  ran  through  the  crowd,  and  in  five  minutes  every 
Democrat  in  the  capitol  was  expressing  his  surprise  at 
the  effect  with  which  we  had  so  suddenly  changed  our 
characters  and  turned  accusers.  I  sat  this  evening  an 
hour  with  Burr.  Bollman  and  Major  Smith  were  the 
only  other  persons  of  the  party.  Here  was  an  oppor 
tunity  to  confirm  my  conviction,  that  neither  Burr  nor 
Bollman  desired  I  should  have  any  acquaintance  with 
the  latter,  for  neither  solicited  nor  proposed  an  introduc 
tion.  Both,  no  doubt,  have  discovered,  long  since,  I  am 
not  of  a  temper  to  further  their  intrigues,  but  they  are 
short-sighted  in  not  perceiving  how  effectually  I  can  and 
will  assuredly  frustrate  them.  Well !  we  chatted,  never 
theless,  on  the  exclusive  topics  of  our  present  concerns 
with  the  Government,  among  which,  it  was  observed  by 
Burr,  "  that  he  should  not  be  surprised  if  the  next  ^In 
quirer  '  attributed  his  absence  from  court,  at  this  time,  to 
fear  of  confronting  Wilkinson."  I  remarked,  "  that  such 
misrepresentation  could  have  no  effect,  as  the  "  Virginia 
Gazette "  would  contradict  it.  Burr  said,  "  this  last 
paper  had  no  circulation ; "  and  if  $300  could  be  raised 
immediately,  the  press  of  the  "  Impartial  Observer," 
which  has  been  obliged  to  stop  for  want  of  funds,  could 
be  again  set  to  work.  The  editor  was  bold  and  ingeni 
ous,  passed  for  "  a  good  Democrat,  would  represent  things 
right,  and  print  every  thing  that  was  required  of  him." 
He  then  asked  me,  "  if  I  could  not  raise  even  $120,  with 

which  a  beginning  could  be  made  ?  could  not  I  get  twenty 

28 


434  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

subscribers,  even  to  advance  $10  each?     How  sorry  he 
was  Tupper  and  Mercer  were  gone  away.     They  would 
readily  contribute.     Would  not   I   look  about/'   etc.     I 
said,  "  I  knew  not  a  man  that  would  advance  a  dollar." 
He  seemed  surprised   that  I  did  not  eagerly  offer  my 
services  as  a  runner  to  beg  for  him,  and  said,  "  I  might 
look  out  if  I  pleased;  that  is,"  he  added,  "if  I  felt  any 
interest  in  the  thing."     Now,  I  'm  at  a  loss  to  divine  the 
drift   of  this   set  upon   me.      Was  it  to  remind  me  to 
smother  any  rising  thoughts  within  me,   to   renew  my 
hints  to  him,  of  other  calls  for  money?     Was  it  to  ex 
hibit  me  to  Bollman  in  a  character  he  would  not  appear 
to  impose  upon  him?     I  own  I  am  at  a  loss  for  a  solu 
tion.     But  certainly,  however   solicitous   he  may  be  to 
revive  the  impartial  observer,  he  was  not  indifferent  to 
making  use  of  this   occasion   for   some   other  purpose. 
Smith,  however,  said,  "he  would  look  about  him  ;  "  and  I 
abruptly  took  leave.      Bollman  kept  silent  during   the 
mos^  of  the  visit.     He  is  engaging  in  his  appearance,  but 
I  have  yet  had  no  opportunity  to  catch  any  lines  of  his 
character,  which  I  hope  will  not  hereafter  escape  me. 
Swartwout  is  dispatched  to  Washington  on  some  secret 
mission,  which  is  as  mat-apropos,  during  Wilkinson's  ex 
amination,  as  Burr's  disappearance  from  court.     Swart 
wout,  it  is  said,  will  be  back  on  Thursday.     Eaton  has 
come  forward  to-day  in  court,  to  say  the  toast  *  was  first 

*  General  Eaton's  evidence  on  the  trial  went  to  prove  that  Burr  medi 
tated  a  dissolution  of  the  Union.  Eaton,  in  order  to  rid  himself  of  Burr's 
importunities,  proposed  the  following  toast  at  a  dinner  given  to  him 
(Eaton)  at  Philadelphia  or  Georgetown ;  he  could  not  distinctly  recollect 
which :  "  The  United  States — palsy  to  the  brain  that  should  plot  to  dismem 
ber,  and  leprosy  to  the  hand  that  will  not  draw  to  defend,  our  Union." 


FORTUNATE   ESCAPE.  435 

given  at  a  public  dinner  given  to  him  at  Georgetown, 
which,  being  in  or  before  December,  1805,  contradicts 
what  he  before  swore  to  on  that  subject. 

WEDNESDAY,  SEPTEMBER  30,  1807. 

The  court  having  been  only  opened  to-day  for  the  pur 
pose  of  adjourning  until  to-morrow,  to  accommodate  the 
bar,  who  are  obliged  to  attend  the  Court  of  Chancery,  I 
spent  an  hour  with  Burr  in  miscellaneous  conversation, 
during  which  Bob.  Robison  and  Smith  were  present. 
The  arrival  in  town  of  Poindexter  and  Williams,  from 
Natchez,  being  mentioned,  and  conjectures  offered  as  to 
what  Poindexter  could  say  as  a  witness  for  the  Govern 
ment,  Robison  observed,  "  he  was  inclined  to  think  Col. 
Burr  was  fortunate  in  having  made  his  escape  when  he 
did  from  that  country,  as,  had  he  delayed  it  for  another 
day,  he  would  probably  have  been  seized,  and  have  fallen 
into  the  hands  of  Wilkinson."  Robison  seemed  unin 
formed  altogether  of  the  nature  of  Meade's  stipulations 
with  Burr,  last  January  or  February,  in  what  was  called 
the  armistice  at  Natchez.  Burr  now  entered  into  a  train 
of  statements  to  show  Robison  how  Meade  had  violated 
his  engagements  on  that  occasion.  If  he  had  made  out 
such  a  story  as  he  now  told  in  the  presence  of  Smith  and 
myself,  where  we  were  not  by,  it  might  perhaps  pass  like 
other  representations  which  have,  I  know  not  in  how 
many  instances,  been  received  upon  the  credit  of  his 
word.  But  that  he  should  tell  any  one,  in  our  hearing, 
that  Meade  pledged  his  honor  to  him  that  our  people 
should  all  keep  their  arms,  when  we  know  the  solicitude 


436  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

with  which  he  afterward  had  them  all  hid,  and  sunk  in 
the  river, — and  say,  he  was  not  taken  a  prisoner,  under 
guard,  to  Washington  in  the  Mississippi  Territory,  from 
the  interview  he  had,  as  it  was  called,  ^Yith  Meade,  at 
Cole's  Creek,  in  pursuance  of  his  forbearing  to  prefer 
resistance,  which  he  might  have  made  to  a  surrender  of 
his  person, — it  would  indeed  surpass  all  credibility,  if  he 
had  not  with  the  same  temerity  assured  Wickham,  the 
other  day  in  court,  "that  the  Mississippi  militia,  while 
ordered  out  against  him,  could  hardly  be  kept  by  him 
from  deserting  to  him  by  whole  companies.  What  they 
might  have  been  disposed  to  do,  had  he  shown  himself 
worthy  of  their  support,  is  too  far  removed  from  what 
they  did  to  need  any  attestation  from  us,  or  our  friends, 
in  that  country.  But  young  men,  whom  I  can  redeem 
from  future  connections  with  every  incapacity  but  the 
talents  for  intrigue,  must  not  be  entangled  in  those  snares, 
so  imprudently  or  so  rashly  laid  for  their  credulity.  In 
deed,  I  am  again  disposed  to  call  to  my  aid  Cowles 
Meade's  impression  last  winter,  that  Burr  was  at  times 
deranged,  as  the  only  means  of  accounting  for  his  occa 
sional  rashness  in  his  assertions.  Certain  I  am,  he  ex 
hibited  at  that  season  every  derangement  but  that  of 
avoidable  hazard ;  and  as  his  memory  is  confessedly 
strong,  he  can  not  now  surely  rely  upon  his  facts,  without 
a  similar,  if  not  a  worse,  apology.  I  saw  to-day  a  curious 
parallel  of  Burr's  character  and  my  own,  drawn  by  Wirt, 
in  his  speech,  reported  in  the  "  Enquirer,"  on  Wickham's 
motion  to  arrest  the  evidence  in  the  treason  case.  I'll 
transcribe  it  hereafter. 


POINDEXTER.  437 

THURSDAY,  OCTOBER  1,  1807. 

Wilkinson's  cross-examination  was  continued  this 
morning  by  Wickham,  with  great  ability,  and  suspend 
ed  until  to-morrow,  to  give  him  time  he  desired  for  re 
flection,  and  further  recurrence  to  his  papers,  and  also  to 
enable  Burr  to  finish  it  to-morrow,  as  the  latter  is  not 
well  enough  to  attend  to-day.  Then  came  forward  the 
ingenious  Poindexter,  who  delivered  a  very  petulant  and 
dogmatical  testimony,  in  the  course  of  which  he  had  the 
effrontery  to  state  the  whole  affair  of  the  alleged  recog 
nizance  of  Burr  taken  by  old  Rodney,  in  a  manner  to  in 
duce,  if  he  could,  a  belief  that  Rodney  was  perfectly  cor 
rect;  that  Burr  had  forfeited  an  original  recognizance, 
and  that  Rodney  was  one  of  the  best  men  living;  while 
no  honest  man  in  the  Territory  believed  a  word  of  the 
stories  that  were  told  there  of  another  recognizance  or 
memorandum  for  one  having  been  suppressed ;  he  even 
went  so  far  as  to  say,  he  heard,  and  believed,  that  Hard 
ing  had  begun  to  write  an  original,  but  got  tired  before 
he  finished  it,  and  it  was  thrown  under  the  table.  0 ! 
Harding,  my  estimable  friend,  may  you  soon  be  able  to 
scourge  this  paltry  pettifogger,  who  further  declared,  on 
his  oath,  that  the  matter  was  now  before  the  Supreme 
Court  of  the  Territory,  where  the  securities  would  get 
off,  not  upon  the  merits  of  the  case,  but  because  the 
Judge  who  bound  them  had  not  cognizance  of  the  offense. 

FRIDAY,  OCTOBER  2,  1807. 

Burr  attended  to-day  in  court,  and  concluded  the  cross- 
examination  of  Wilkinson ;  after  which,  Poindexter  was 


438  THE  BLEXNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

again  called  for,  and  was,  if  possible,  a  greater  curiosity 
as  a  witness  than  he  had  been  yesterday.  His  parade  of 
his  opinion  of  the  jurisdiction  of  the  courts  in  the  Mis 
sissippi  Territory,  his  strictures  on  the  presentments  hy 
Burr's  grand  jury  there,  his  justification  of  his  conduct 
as  honorary  aid-de-camp  and  Attorney  General,  and  his 
insolence  to  Burr  and  his  counsel,  all  exhibited  him  in  a 
light  which  introduced  a  character  into  the  piece  now 
performing  at  the  capitol,  as  novel  as  it  was  unexpected. 
Then  succeeded  a  witness  of  a  very  opposite  cast,  a  Mr. 
Trisley,  one  of  the  late  grand  jury  here,  who  has  riveted 
on  Wilkinson's  character  and  credit  those  fetters  Jeffer 
son  and  himself  were  so  long  forging  together  for  the 
fame  and  liberty  of  others.  After  a  close  struggle  be 
tween  opposite  counsel,  Wickham  succeeded  by  his  usual 
address  in  wresting  from  the  prosecutors  a  very  curious 
letter  by  Jefferson  to  Wilkinson,  of  the  3d  of  last  Janu 
ary,  which  I  must,  if  possible,  get  a  copy  of.  Martin 
was  both- yesterday  and  to-day  more  in  his  cups  than 
usual,  and  though  he  spared  neither  his  prudence  nor  his 
feelings,  he  was  happy  in  all  his  hits.  11  o'clock,  P.  M. 

SATURDAY,  OCTOBER  3,  1807. 

Wilkinson,  though  it  was  thought  by  many  yesterday 
that  his  cross-examination  was  concluded,  was,  this  morn 
ing,  again  further  interrogated  as  to  the  import  of  his 
instructions  to  Lieutenant  Pike,  and  the  nature  of  his 
confidential  intercourse  with  Kibby.  But  nothing  could 
be  got  out  of  him  as  to  the  former;  and,  as  to  any  deal 
ing  with  Kibby,  of  the  sort  alluded  to  in  Kibby's  pub 
lished  affidavit,  he  would  no  more  confess  it  than  that  he 


CHALLENGE.  439 

is  said,  by  the  records  of  scandal,  to  have  had  in  his  youth 
with  General  G  *  *  *  .  He  produced  two  copies  of 
alleged  instructions  to  Pike.  These  papers,  being  of  his 
own  manufacture,  left  his  adversaries,  of  course,  to  con 
tent  themselves  with  whatever  effect  the  suspicions  aris 
ing  from  their  questions  might  produce  in  the  minds  of 
the  auditors,  if  not  of  the  Judge.  But  the  publication  in 
the  "  Argus,"  to-day,  of  no  less  than  six  documents,  of 
fered  by  Wilkinson  in  the  course  of  his  examination,  and 
rejected  by  the  Judge  as  improper  to  be  given  in  evidence, 
will  operate  a  preponderating  counterpoise  in  his  favor. 
Before  he  withdrew,  he  appealed  to  the  Court  on  the 
attempts  that  had  been  made,  during  his  examination, 
upon  his  honor  and  veracity ;  observing,  "  that  it  now 
would  be  easy  for  him  to  show  his  whole  conduct  in  its 
true  light,  freed  from  all  manner  of  doubt  or  suspicion 
of  his  motives,  if  Burr  would  produce  the  letter  of  the 
13th  of  May,  alluded  to  in  the  ciphered  letter,  which 
would  enable  him  to  expose  other  letters  from  Burr 
which  occasioned  that  letter."  He  then  declared  that 
Burr's  assertion,  "  that  the  letter  of  the  13th  of  May  had 
been  put  out  of  Burr's  power  into  the  hands  of  a  third 
person,  with  Wilkinson's  knowledge,"  was  unfounded, 
and  destitute  of  all  manner  of  truth  ;  that  Burr  knew 
the  very  reverse  was  the  fact ;  and  with  warmth  and  as 
perity  of  language,  he  again  challenged  him  to  produce  it. 
Burr,  with  an  air  of  dignity  and  composure  which,  I  think, 
he  borrowed  from  an  opinion  that  he  is  not  bound  to  give 
Wilkinson  a  meeting  out  of  court,  demanded  whether  this 
sort  of  language  and  such  topics  were  giving  testimony ; 


440  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

and  then  observed,  "  that  the  General  was  there  to  tell 
the  whole  truth,  and  nothing  but  the  truth,  upon  his 
oath,  and  should  reserve  other  matters  for  another  place." 
Wilkinson  now  withdrew  ;  but  who  can  not  perceive  that, 
in  this  scene,  the  craft  of  the  advocate  shrunk  from  the 
charge  of  his  enemy.  I  examined,  soon  after  this,  Gates 
and  Jones — the  latter  of  whom  fully  proved  the  terms  of 
a  parole  agreement  to  go  down  the  river  with  me  last 
winter — in  a  manner  to  defeat  every  effect  the  testimony 
of  the  Hendersons  could  possibly  produce  to  my  preju 
dice.  I  find  Burr  has  a  heavy  bill  against  the  United 
States,  on  account  of  advances  he  says  he  has  made  to 
agents  employed  for  summoning  his  witnesses.  How 
many  have  undertaken  this  service  for  him  J[  know  not; 
some  I  do  know  who  advanced  their  own  money,  in  ex 
pectation  of  being  refunded  by  Burr  or  the  United  States. 
But  how  far  Burr  will  be  indemnified  for  his  advances  in 
this  business  may  be  guessed  from  the  transaction  already 
narrated  of  the  manreuvre,  by  which  he  put  Ellis,  one  of 
his  creditors,  in  cash.  (See  conclusion  to  notes  of  23d  of 
August.)  But  Ellis,  who  was  to-day  examined,  parried 
some  lounges  made  at  him,  during  his  examination  on 
this  subject,  by  saying,  "it  was  a  verbal  summons  he  got 
at  Natchez — the  proper  one  was  served  upon  him  here." 
I  will  now  set  down  here  Wirt's  parallel  of  Burr's  char 
acter  and  my  own.  After  having  stated  that  Burr  was 
manoeuvring  to  effect  his  escape  from  the  prosecutions,  by 
having  me  sacrificed  in  his  stead,  he  asks,  "  By  what  sort 
of  legerdemain  is  it,  that  Burr  wants  to  shuffle  himself 
down  to  the  bottom  of  the  pack,  and  turn  me  up,  princi- 


ABOUT    TO    TRAVEL.  441 

pal  traitor  ?  "#  He  then  proceeds  as  follows  :  "  Who,  then, 
is  Aaron  Burr — and  what  the  part  which  he  has  borne  in 
this  transaction  ?  " 

SUNDAY,  OCTOBER  4,  1807. 

I  called  on  Burr  this  morning,  when  he,  at  last,  men 
tioned  to  me,  during  a  short  tete  a  tete,  that  he  was 
preparing  to  go  to  England ;  that  the  time  was  now  aus 
picious  for  him ;  and  he  wished  to  know  whether  I  could 
give  him  letters.  I  answered,  "  that  I  supposed  when  he 
said  England,  he  meant  London,  as  his  business  would 
probably  be  with  people  in  office ;  that  I  knew  none  of 

:;:  Will  any  man  say  that  Blennerhassett  was  the  principal,  and  Burr 
but  an  accessory?  Who  will  believe  that  Burr,  the  author  and  projector 
of  the  plot,  who  raised  the  forces,  who  enlisted  the  men,  and  who  procured 
the  funds  for  carrying  it  into  execution,  was  made  a  cat's-paw  of?  Will 
any  man  believe  that  Burr,  who  is  a  soldier,  bold,  ardent,  restless,  and 
aspiring,  the  great  actor  whose  brain  conceived,  and  whose  hand  brought, 
the  plot  into  operation,  that  he  should  sink  down  into  an  accessory,  and 
that  Blennerhassett  should  be  elevated  into  a  principal?  He  would  startle 
at  once  at  the  thought.  Aaron  Burr,  the  contriver  of  the  whole  conspiracy, 
to  every  body  concerned  in  it,  was  as  the  sun  to  the  planets  which  sur 
round  him.  Did  he  not  bind  them  in  their  respective  orbits,  and  give 
them  their  light,  their  heat,  and  their  motion?  Yet  he  is  to  be  con 
sidered  an  accessory,  and  Blennerhassett  is  to  be  the  principal,  who, 
thus  deluded  from  his  interest  and  his  happiness,  thus  seduced  from 
the  paths  of  innocence  and  peace,  thus  confounded  in  the  toils  that  were 
deliberately  spread  for  him,  and  overwhelmed  by  the  mastering  spirit 
and  genius  of  another — this  man,  thus  ruined  and  undone,  and  made  to 
play  a  subordinate  part  in  this  grand  drama  of  guilt  and  treason,  this  man 
is  to  be  called  the  principal  offender;  while  he,  by  whom  he  was  thus 
plunged  in  misery,  is  comparatively  innocent,  a  mere  accessory !  Is  this 
reason?  Is  it  law?  Is  it  humanity?  Sir,  neither  the  human  heart  nor 
the  human  understanding  will  bear  a  perversion  so  monstrous  and  absurd  ! 
so  shocking  to  the  soul !  so  revolting  to  reason !  Let  Aaron  Burr,  then, 
not  shrink  from  the  high  destination  which  he  has  courted ;  and  having 
already  ruined  Blennerhassett  in  fortune,  character,  and  happiness  for 
ever,  let  him  not  attempt  to  finish  the  tragedy  by  thrusting  that  ill-fated 
man  between  himself  and  punishment.— Extract  from  W.  Wirts  Speech. 


442  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

the  present  ministry,  nor  did  I  believe  I  had  a  single 
acquaintance  in  London."      He  replied,   "  he  meant  to 
visit  every  part  of  the  country,  and  would  be  glad  to  get 
letters  to  any  one."    I  said,  that  I  would  think  of  it ;  that 
I  might  discover  whether  I  had  any  friends  there,  whom 
it  would  be  an  object  worth  his  attention  to  know,  and 
took  leave.     Thus  it  is,  this  strange  man  continues  to 
expose  his  inconsistency  with  himself,  rather  than  lay 
aside   the   mysterious    mask,   with   which   he   has    ever 
sought,  and  still  continues,  to  disguise  his  very  hints — a 
practice,  I   believe,  he   has  not   departed  from   in   any 
instance,  from  "Wilkinson  down  to  myself.     We  can  only 
conjecture,  therefore,  his  designs.     For  my  part,  I  am 
disposed  to  suspect  he  has  no  serious  purpose  of  reviving 
any  of  his  speculations  in  America,  or  even  of  returning 
from  Europe,  if  he  can  get  there.     His  anxiety  to  elude 
his    creditors   is,   I   believe,  occupation    enough   for   his 
energies,  which  are  little,  except  in  his  reveries.     Out  of 
them  he  tells  different  stories  to  different  persons,  enjoin 
ing  confidence  from  all,  but  committing  himself  in  noth 
ing  to  any  one.    I  have  suspected  for  some  time,  however, 
he  really  does  dream  of  appearing  in  London,  with  some 
thing,  according  to  his  ideas,  in  the  nature  of  a  suite. 
Some  weeks  past,  he  consulted  De  Pestre,  to  learn  from 
him  how  much  money  would  be  wanted  to  enable  him  to 
go  and  return.     He  said,  he  supposed  that  $10,000  might 
answer.     De  Pestre  told  him,  that  would  depend  on  the 
nature  of  his  business,  and  the  time  it  would  require  to 
transact  it.     But  he  has  more  lately  been  engaged  in  en 
deavoring  to  attach  to  him  some  young  men  who  may 
accompany  him.     I  yet  only  know,  positively,  two.    Sam. 


FRIENDLY    INTERPOSITION.  443 

Swartwout  was  enraptured  with  the  prospect,  and  still 
may  feast  his  imagination  upon  it ;  though  I  could  not 
resist  the  propensity  I  felt  to  convey  to  this  fine  young 
man,  without  his  suspecting  from  whence  it  came,  a  curb, 
which  may  restrain  his  generous  ardor  and  innocent 
credulity.  His  relation,  Major  Smith,  has  endeavored  to 
apply  it.  Bob.  Robison  was  the  other,  and,  to  save  him, 
my  breast  heaved  with  indignation  against  his  tempter, 
while  my  heart  labored  for  the  danger  of  my  young 
friend,  when  I  found  that  his  property  was  Mr.  Burr's 
object;  for  Burr,  it  seems,  in  the  first  place,  certified 
himself  by  inquiries  of  Major  Smith,  that  Robison's 
father  was  wealthy,  and  Robert  an  only  child,  before  he 
proposed  the  voyage  to  him,  which  I  find  he  had  the 
insolence  to  introduce  by  telling  him,  Smith,  Robison 
would  be  much  pleased  to  accompany  him,  as  Mr.  Blen- 
nerhassett  had  assured  him,  than  which  nothing  is  more 
false.  But  Burr  is  as  careless  of  his  facts  as  of  his 
religion,  where  neither  is  exposed  to  scrutiny ;  and  any 
liberty  with  them  may  advance  his  purpose  for  the  mo 
ment.  I  had  seasonably  prepared  this  young  man,  who 
will  to-morrow  make  his  escape  to  Pittsburgh,  from  the 
fascinations  of  this  serpent.  I  was  much  entertained  for 
two  or  three  hours  by  the  performance  on  the  piano  by  a 
young  Frenchman,  who  is  a  fine  performer,  and  made  me 
acquainted  with  some  new  music  of  Haydn  and  others, 
which  he  executed  with  masterly  skill  and  expression. 

MONDAY,  OCTOBER  5,  1807. 

This  day  was  chiefly  consumed  with  hearing  testimony 
adduced   to   prove   Eaton's   incompetency   or   discredit ; 


444  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

which  failed,  according  to  the  legal  rules  of  evidence, 
though  Eaton  himself  has  already  fully  anticipated  the 
object  of  his  adversaries.  I  am  very  unhappy  in  failing 
to  hear  from  ISTatchez,  to  relieve  my  anxiety  for  Harnian. 
But  why  should  I  presume  to  pray  for  the  removal  of  my 
trouble  for  him  and  his  mother,  when  I  know  how  un 
worthy  I  have  been  of  the  many  blessings  I  have  already 
enjoyed  in  them.  I  have  ever  thought  too  highly  of 
Dominick,  in  prejudice  to  his  brother ;  my  late  cares  for 
the  latter  have  equalized  the  account. 

TUESDAY,  OCTOBER  6,  1807. 

Burr  and  Martin  made  a  considerable  blunder  to-day, 
by  producing  a  Major  Brough,  to  the  discredit  of  Wil 
kinson,  as  they  thought.  The  Major,  it  is  true,  told  some 
curious  stories  to  the  Court  and  to  the  General,  as  unex 
pected  by  the  Judge,  probably,  as  they  were  unpalatable 
to  the  Brigadier ;  but  the  effect  only  tended  to  show  both 
equally  rivals  in  treachery  to  the  State,  if  not  to  them 
selves.  Burr  would  gladly  have  pretermitted  the  exhi 
bition  of  this  scene,  but  it  was  too  late  ;  the  curtain  had 
risen,  and  "Peacham"  and  "Locket"  stood  confessed  in 
every  line  of  their  characters,  except  a  compromise  of 
their  differences.  But  as,  in  such  cases,  "  honest  men 
come  by  their  own,"  the  public  feelings  on  the  Mississippi 
will  necessarily  be  relieved,  by  the  disclosures  of  this  wit 
ness,  from  the  insult  and  mortification  of  again  seeing 
Wilkinson  command  in  that  country.  It  is  in  vain  that 
Wilkinson  has  promised  to  destroy  the  credit  of  this  wit 
ness.  The  Major  has  brandished  his  sword  with  such 
effect  and  address,  on  this  occasion,  that  he  has  not  only 


GIFT.  445 

cut  down  the  General,  but  even  disarmed  his  auxiliaries — 
Jefferson,  Dearborn  and  Rodney — who  have  so  long 
fought  by  his  side  throughout,  this  criminal  warfare.  In 
short,  unless  this  testimony,  which,  from  its  effect  upon 
Jefferson,  etc.,  I  regard  as  the  most  interesting  that  has 
occurred,  can  be  totally  obliterated  from  the  reports  of 
the  present  motley  proceedings  at  the  capitol,  and  the 
Major  be  absolutely  foxed,  the  execration  of  the  admin 
istration  will  soon  be  sown  on  the  Mississippi,  to  produce 
a  crop  similar  to  that  which  sprung  from  the  teeth  of  the 
hydra.  I  regret  the  whole  narrative  •  will  not  probably 
appear  in  full  before  Robertson's  report  of  the  whole 
proceedings.  This  evening,  my  friend  Hendren,  who  has 
again  come  up  to  town  chiefly  to  see  me,  has  called  to 
express  his  satisfaction  at  the  near  prospect  of  my  restora 
tion  to  my  family,  .and  to  solicit  my  acceptance  of  a 
horse  he  has  a  long  time  destined  for  me,  together  with 
whatever  money  I  may  have  occasion  for.  He  has  duly 
tempered  the  frankness  of  these  propositions  with  senti 
ments  of  corresponding  delicacy.  I,  alas !  have  made  no 
better  return  to  this  generosity  than  words  that  lightened 
not  the  burden  that  he  had  laid  upon  my  heart,  which,  I 
hope,  God  will  give  it  strength  to  carry  to  my  grave. 
How  long  have  I  sought,  through  life,  friends  without  my 
family;  and  where  have  I  found  any,  until  the  hand  of 
Divine  mercy  pointed  their  regards  to  that  piety  that  has 
supported  the  patience  of  my  distress.  I  have  declined 
Hendren's  favors,  and  quieted  his  solicitude  to  serve 
me,  by  requesting  him  to  look  out  for  a  few  negroes 
I  want  to  purchase.  He  will  see  me  again  next  Monday. 


446  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

WEDNESDAY,  OCTOBER  7,  1807. 

Wilkinson  was  not  ready  to-day  to  undertake  his  attack 
upon  the  credit  of  Major  Brough,  but  he  will  attempt  it 
to-morrow.  Nothing  was  done,  of  any  consequence,  in 
court  to-day.  Soon  after  it  adjourned,  I  took  a  letter  for 
my  wife  to  the  "  Eagle,"  to  go  by  Col.  McKee,  who  leaves 
for  Natchez  to-morrow.  I  had  there  the  happiness  to  see 
Doctor  Commins,  just  arrived.  He  made  me  happy,  by 
assuring  me  my  boys  were  running  about  on  the  25th  of 
August,  when  he  last  saw  them,  and  has  brought  me  a 
packet,  which  I  shall  receive  in  the  morning.  I  find  I 
have  omitted  to  note  a  very  curious  discovery  made  in 
court  last  Saturday.  Nothing  less  than  letters  of  McKee's, 
some  of  thenT  dated  in  January  and  February  last,  pro 
duced  by  Wilkinson,  proving  the  Col.  to  have  been  with 
us  on  the  Mississippi,  far  more  as  a  spy  than  a  friend. 
The  capillaries  of  the  Colonel's  physiognomy,  during  the 
reading  of  the  said  letters,  were  swollen  to  bursting.  The 
man,  I  believe,  would  have  hissed  upon  immersion  in 
cold  water.  He  was  struck  dumb,  and,  upon  his  release, 
went  off  in  a  tangent.  Burr  can't  endure  a  hint  of  this 
incident;  and  yet  he  has  since  been  more  than  once 
closeted  with  the  Colonel.  Can  he  find  no  better  friends, 
or  is  he  really  deranged  ? 

THURSDAY,  OCTOBER  8,  1807. 

Wilkinson  has  not  kept  his  promise  of  to-day,  dis 
crediting  the  testimony  of  Major  Brough.  An  unim 
portant  witness  or  two  were  examined  by  way  of  killing 
time,  which  now  seems  to  be  the  favorite  object  of  the 


EXCITEMENT.  447 

prosecutors.  Afterward,  Hay  at  last  announced  that  the 
evidence  was  closed  on  the  part  of  the  prosecution,  but 
reserved  his  right  to  examine,  without  restriction,  all  of 
those  witnesses  that  may  arrive,  according  to  his  fancy, 
which  was  conceded  to  him.  He  then  entered  upon  his 
speech,  to  comment  on  the  evidence,  which  appeared  to 
me  the  best  effort  I  have  yet  heard  from  him ;  it  was  per 
spicuous  and  somewhat  ingenious.  I  have  therefore 
taken  pretty  close  notes  of  all  such  parts  of  it  as  appeared 
to  me  to  be  worthy  of  notice,  or  particularly  applicable  to 
myself.  He  spoke,  however,  to  empty  benches  until  the 
rising  of  the  Court,  which  was,  for  his  accommodation, 
protracted  half  an  hour  longer  than  usual.  A  few 
minutes  before  he  stopped,  I  was  much  diverted  by  a 
display  of  his  irritability,  which  was  excited  by  McRae's 
interrupting  him  with  a  whisper  to  stop  at  4  o'clock. 
Upon  this,  the  attorney  fired  with  indignation,  and  in 
his  wrath  very  plainly  exhibited  his  contempt  for  his  co 
adjutor,  by  telling  him  he  would  not  be  interrupted  by 
him  ;  and  then  endeavoring  fruitlessly  to  compose  his  ire, 
he  lamented  the  condition  of  counsel,  that  could  neither 
agree  with  those  on  their  own  side,  or  those  who  were 
opposed  to  them.  I  sent  to  Doctor  Commins,  this  morn 
ing,  for  the  packet  he  brought  me  from  Natchez,  but  not 
having  received  it,  I  called  upon  him  this  evening, 
when  he  delivered  it  to  me  in  a  wretched  state,  it  hav 
ing  been  taken  from  him  in  the  Creek  Nation  of  In 
dians,  by  Col.  Hawkins,  the  agent  of  that  tribe,  who, 
after  examining  my  letter-bag,  and  every  original  letter 
my  wife  had  sent  me,  except  perhaps  two  sealed  letters 
from  herself,  and,  after  taking  such  extracts  and  copies 


448  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

of  the  whole  as  he  chose,  then  returned  to  Doctor  Com- 
mins  as  many  as  he  thought  proper.  This  outrage  I 
shall  have  formally  stated  in  an  affidavit  by  the  Doctor, 
in  order  to  procure  an  attachment  against  the  Colonel.  I 
spent  a  very  pleasant  evening  at  the  Musical  Society, 
where  I  met  Mrs.  Chevalier  and  Mrs.  "Wickham.  They 
seemed  pleased  with  some  performances,  in  which  I  took 
a  part,  particularly  a  quartette  of  Pleyel's.  Mrs.  Chev 
alier  gave  me  some  hospitable  reproaches  for  the  scarcity 
of  my  visits.  I  believe  her  husband  a  most  generous  and 
benevolent  man,  which  his  countenance  fully  bespeaks. 

FRIDAY,  OCTOBER  9,  1807. 

It  is  a  little  singular  that  my  birthday  should  yesterday 
have  passed  by  without  my  having  noticed  it ;  but  this 
has  been  the  case  for  several  of  the  last  years  of  my  life, 
and  T  suppose  the  reason  is,  that  my  mind  is  hardly  occu 
pied  once  a  year  in  thinking  of  myself.  I  may  have 
taken  my  height  and  weight,  perhaps  full  twenty  times  in 
the  course  of  my  life ;  but  I  am  certain  I  never  remem 
bered,  much  less  noted,  the  amount  of  either,  so  that  I 
could  recollect  it  one  hour  after  trial.  Yesterday,  then,  I 
completed  my  forty-second  or  forty-third  year;  for  my 
father  and  mother  could  never  agree  whether  I  was  born 
in  1764  or  1765,  though  they  coincided  as  to  the  day,  fix 
ing  it  on  the  8th  of  October.  But  at  such  a  distance  from 
my  suffering  family,  I  can  not  estimate  how  much  hap 
piness  or  misery  they  have  been  preparing  for  my  future 
years.  Hay  finished  his  speech  to-day.  He  was  followed 
by  Randolph,  in  a  style  that  will  read  much  better  than 
it  was  delivered.  He  relied  chiefly  on  the  effect  of  Burr's 


• 


RAISING   MONEY.  449 

acquittal,  and  arguments  drawn  from  the  Constitution. 
As  to  me,  he  seemed  to  forget  my  case  altogether,  save 
so  far  as  his  concern  for  Burr  obliged  him  to  mention  my 
name  and  writings.  This,  I  suspect,  will  also  be  the  case 
with  Wickham.  Nous  verrons. 

SATURDAY,  OCTOBER  10,  1807. 

The  Court  does  not  sit  to-day,  at  the  request  of  the 
prosecutors ;  yet  they  are  eternally  complaining  of  the 
tedious  length  of  the  trial,  and  their  own  confinement 
and  sufferings  by  it.  The  accused  have  no  sufferings,  it 
seems,  worthy  of  their  notice.  I  have  to-day  spent  much 
time  in  painful  reflections  on  the  state  of  my  affairs  with 
Burr.  It  appears  by  a  statement  of  my  private  account 
with  him,  so  far  as  I  can  now  collect  all  my  charges 
against  him  here,  for  he  has  but  two  credits,  he  is  in 
debted  to  me  in  a  balance  of  $2,864.96,  independent  of 
my  account  against  him,  for  what  I  have  already  paid 
and  lost,  by  my  indorsement  of  the  bill  held  by  Miller  for 
$4,000.  It  will  be  useless,  or  worse,  for  me  to  attempt  to 
appear  at  Marietta  without  a  sum  of  money,  if  not  suffi 
cient  to  discharge  Miller's  claim,  at  least  necessary  to 
enable  me  to  get  my  negroes  away  from  Ohio,  if  that  is 
now  possible,  and  to  redeem  some  few  valuable  articles 
of  my  property  that  have  been  sacrificed  at  sheriff's 
sales.  I  have  therefore  imagined  a  method  of  forcing 
Burr's  exertions  to  raise  money  for  me,  which  is  the  most 
likely  to  succeed.  It  is  founded  on  the  principle  of 
effecting  through  his  vanity  and  interest  what  it  is  now 
evident  I  should  in  vain  seek  through  his  justice  or 

generosity.     I  will  hint  to  him  my  ability  to  introduce 
29 


450  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

him  into  the  first  circles  in  England,  by  introductory 
letters ;  at  the  same  time,  showing  him  my  expectations 
of  becoming  soon  possessed  of  a  large  fortune  in  Europe, 
from  which,  I  doubt  not,  I  shall  be  enabled  to  engage  his 
best  endeavors,  if  not  his  warmest  interest.  This  plan 
I  shall  put  in  execution  to-morrow,  of  which  I  will  note 
the  effect  upon  him.  Leaving  it  to  ripen  in  his  medita 
tions  for  a  week,  I  shall  then  open  my  present  distresses  to 
him  in  detail,  and  present  him  with  his  account.  It  is 
a  little  painful,  I  own,  to  feel  oneself  obliged  to  bring 
even  a  bad  man  into  the  path  of  his  duty  by  artifice. 
But  the  details  of  the  manoeuvre,  when  examined,  will,  I 
trust,  do  me  no  discredit  with  my  friends. 

SUNDAY,  OCTOBER  11,  1807. 

It  being  very  warm  and  dusty  this  morning,  I  sent  to 
John  Banks  for  a  horse  to  visit  his  family  and  Chevalier's, 
they  living  two  miles  apart,  and  take  the  benefit  of  a 
short  ride.  But  I  previously  called  upon  Burr,  whom  I 
found  alone  and  in  good  spirits.  He  attributed  the  re 
moval  of  his  indisposition  exclusively  to  the  effect  of  my 
pills,  and  his  inflamed  eye  was  nearly  cured.  Daniel 
Clark  and  Mr.  Powers  had  arrived  from  Orleans  to  sup 
port  the  depositions  of  Derbigeny  and  the  younger  Mer- 
cier,  to  the  confirmation  of  Wilkinson's  character  and 
ruin.  Availing  myself  of  such  a  state  of  things,  I  en 
tered  into  desultory  conversation  affecting  all  freedom  of 
thought  from  any  particular  object.  The  affair  of  the 
Leopard  and  Chesapeake  being  mentioned,  Burr  observed, 
that  though  the  difference  between  the  United  States  and 
Great  Britain  on  that  account  might  be  expected  to  be 


"FRIENDS  AT  COURT."  451 

soon  settled,  there  were  many  other  causes  of  dispute 
which  would  not  soon  be  removed ;  that  this  was  a  most 
auspicious  moment  for  his  purposes  to  visit  England,  and 
he  had  no  doubt  he  could,  in  serving  himself  and  his 
friends  there,  show  them,  the  ministry,  their  best  interests 
in  a  manner  that  would  convince  their  judgment.  This 
was  the  best  opportunity  I  could  have  desired  for  my  pur 
pose.  I  now  told  him,  as  he  happened  to  be  alone,  I  had 
been  reflecting  on  the  application  he  had  lately  made  to 
me  for  letters  to  England,  to  assist  the  better  means  he 
no  doubt  possessed  of  establishing  his  intercourse  with 
the  best  society  in  that  country.  I  regretted  that,  through 
the  fluctuations  of  parties  there,  I  had  no  acquaintance 
with  any  member  of  the  Administration.  But  I  had 
thought  of  three  noblemen,  with  whom  I  had  been  at 
school  at  Westminster,  and  there  intimate  with  them  all, 
though  I  had  never  since  met  with  any  of  them,  except 
Lord  Sackville,  who  had  visited  me  in  Ireland.  To  Lord 
S.,  therefore,  I  could  write,  and  also  to  Lords  Elgin  and 
Courtenay.  The  latter  I  was  very  intimate  with  at 
school ;  and  the  former,  I  presumed,  from  the  circum 
stance  of  his  having  been  not  long  since  ambassador  at 
the  courts  of  Petersburgh  and  Constantinople,  must  be 
much  respected  by  the  present  ministers,  if  not  in  office 
with  them.  To  all  these  personages,  I  said,  I  thought  I 
could  properly  address  a  mere  letter  of  introduction, 
which  if  it  would  not  of  itself  produce  the  end  proposed, 
would  not  fail  to  do  so  when  supported  by  the  appear 
ance  he  would  make  in  London,  the  address  with  which 
he  would  be  as  impressive  there  as  here,  and  the  distin 
guished  rank  he  lately  occupied  in  the  American  Govern- 


452  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

ment.  The  effect  of  this  communication  was  rapture. 
The  whole  man  was  changed.  With  all  his  studied  re 
serve,  he  could  not  restrain  his  transports,  which  agitated 
his  countenance  and  his  movements  far  more  than  the 
news  of  a  capital  prize  in  the  lottery  could  have  done.  I 
now,  after  pausing  a  little,  to  give  his  reflections  time  to 
recover  his  usual  composure,  asked  if  he  remembered  a 
hint  I  had  sometime  since  given  him,  that  I  entertained 
some  expectations  of  hereafter  becoming  easy  in  my  cir 
cumstances,  and  perhaps  wealthy.  "  Yes,"  he  hastily 
replied,  "  very  well.'7  I  then  alluded  to  a  communication 
by  letter  from  a  friend  in  Ireland,  which  I  would  now 
acquaint  him  with,  and  from  which  I  might  expect,  if  my 
prospects  should  be  realized,  possibly  to  meet  him  in 
those  circles  in  Europe,  into  which  I  proposed  to  intro 
duce  him ;  now  drawing  from  my  pocket  A.  Martin's 
letter  of  16th  of  last  May,  which  luckily  contained  no 
other  matter  than  that  I  wished  him  to  see,  and  some 
political  news.  I  presented  it  to  him.  He  read  it  delib 
erately,  over  and  over,  and  I  now  beheld  myself  estab 
lished  in  an  influence  upon  his  feelings,  and  a  considera 
tion  from  his  notice,  to  which  I  am  persuaded  I  had 
never  before  possessed  the  least  title.  Hey-day !  behold 
the  wretched  and  beggared  Blennerhassett  about  to  rise 
out  of  the  misery  in  which  I  have  plunged  him,  and  his 
unhappy  family,  into  wealth  and  consequence.  The  heir, 
too,  of  a  nobleman !  His  new  wealth  and  his  dignified 
connections  must  supply  me  with  better  materials  for  my 
projected  speculations  than  all  others  I  have  hitherto  col 
lected.  His  connections  and  his  purse  shall  lay  the  foun 
dation  under  which  I  will  again  bury  his  credulity  and 


453 

rear  upon  it  my  aggrandizement.  I  am  persuaded  all 
this,  and  probably  much  more  to  the  same  purpose,  en 
tered  and  pervaded  the  mind  of  this  arch-financier,  with 
the  velocity  of  light,  in  an  instant.  Be  it  so.  Let  him 
outwit  himself.  He  shall  have  my  letters  to  the  British 
nobleman,  and  may  make  his  own  use  of  them,  If  he 
will  first  exonerate  me  from  Miller's  demand,  and  pay 
or  secure  the  balance  he  owes  me  before  we  part.  Other 
wise,  we  break  upon  a  ivrit,  and  for  every  thing  else,  I 
fear  not  his  address  in  future. 

Chevalier,  as  usual,  pressed  me  to  dinner.  I  have  such 
full  confidence  in  his  goodness  that  I  believe  I  shall  ven 
ture  to  request  him  to  indorse  or  negotiate  a  bill  on  Phil 
adelphia  for  me. 

MONDAY,  OCTOBER  12,  1807. 

I  am  miserable  this  morning,  by  being  denied  a  letter 
from  Natchez.  The  season  advances,  and  witnesses  con 
tinue  to  arrive  so  constantly,  that  I  am  filled  with  appre 
hensions  of  being  unable  to  descend  the  Ohio  before  the 
breaking  up  of  that  river.  Martin  commenced  his  speech 
on  the  evidence  this  morning,  and  only  reached  the  first 
full  stop  at  the  hour  of  adjournment.  He  will  probably 
hold  out  full  two  days  more. 

TUESDAY,  OCTOBER  13,  1807. 

Martin  kept  on  his  feet  again  to-day  until  the  adjourn 
ment.  He  has  only  come  to  the  second  period.  I  had 
this  morning  an  extremely  friendly  note  from  Chevalier, 
telling  me  he  never  lends  his  name  to  any  body,  but  has 
one  thousand  dollars  at  my  command,  which  I  have  ac- 


454  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

cepted,  to  send  to  the  sale  by  Commins.  I  have  spent  a 
pleasant  evening  at  Banks',  where  I  often  take  Smith 
with  me,  as  he  knows  no  one  here.  Banks  has  given  me 

some  lines  he  made  on  the  late  Miss ,  which  I  will 

here  transcribe,  as  they  deserve  preservation : 

SWEET     SHADE. 

Within  our  hearts,  thy  mem'ry  is  embalmed 
Beyond  the  usual  gifts  that  grace  thy  sex; 
Thy  various  virtues  and  acquirements  shone: 
The  dignity  of  worth  (like  thine)  it  would 
Degrade  to  blazon  each  peculiar  claim 
That  marked  thy  value  here ;  for  all  who  knew 
Thee  felt  its  force,  and  every  tongue  seemed 
Emulous  to  praise.     The  young,  enraptured, 
Hung  upon  thy  name;  with  equal  rev'rence 
And  grateful  love  hailed  the  bright  exemplar 
That  adorned  the  sex.     Pleased  with  the  theme, 
The  aged  matron,  too,  for  this  laid  by 
The  frigid  caution  of  maturer  years ; 
With  joy  exulting,  joined  the  general  praise, 
And  wished,  a  pious  wish,  her  offspring  might 
Through  life's  alluring  scenes  tread  the  chaste  paths 
That  marked  Eliza's  steps. 

One  kindred  trait,  that  marked  thy  latest  hour, 
Unknown  to  all  but  to  thy  weeping  friends, 
Who  clung  around  the  sable  couch  of  Death, 
'T  were  impious  not  to  note.     The  God  who  smote 
Still  blessed  thee  to  the  last.     Its  powers  thy  mind 
Retained ;  while,  conscious  of  th'  approaching  call, 
Thy  steadfast  soul  still  stood  serene  and  firm. 
No  tumult  there,  no  dread,  no  terror  could 
Disturb  the  heart  which  purity  inspired. 
'T  was  Resignation's  calm  I     Thy  closing  eyes, 
'T  is  true,  a  transient  tremor  felt,  and  o'er 
The  fevered  cheek  a  drop  let  fall.     0!  't  was 


MARTIN   AND   MVRAE.  455 

A  sacred  gem,  incalculably  rich ! 
A  legacy  divine ;  for  others'  woes 
It  fell.     'T  was  filial  sympathy,  which,  like 
A  shock  electric,  struck  the  palsied  nerve, 
Impervious  but  to  this.     Dim  though  thy  sight, 
Yet  still  thou  sawest  a  parent's 
Agonizing  pangs  ;  a  precious  pearl 
Thou  gav'st ;  and  with  the  boon  expir'd. 
Sweet  Shade !  this  tribute  is  not  half  thy  due. 
Alas !  too  soon  we  pay  the  solemn  meed ; 
Yet  bear  it  on  thy  wing;  't  will  pleasing  prove 
A  passport  to  the  skies ;  and  when,  blest  Shade, 
Thy  sister-spirits,  who  thy  flight  await 
At  Heav'n's  portal,  shall  peruse  the  scroll, 
In  strains  celestial,  not  unknown  to  thee, 
They  '11  chant  the  theme  divine,  until  it  reach 
The  Throne  of  Grace.     There,  in  regal  state, 
The  King  of  Kings,  in  all  the  majesty 
Of  Heaven  arrayed,  with  sweet  solacing  smile, 
Shall  hail  thy  welcome  to  the  realms  above, 
While  myriads  of  the  just  around  him  sing : 
"This  the  reward  of  virtuous  acts  below, 
Eternal  life  and  bliss  for  evermore  1 " 

WEDNESDAY,  OCTOBER  14,  1807. 

Martin  at  last  concluded  at  4  o'clock,  with  the  adjourn 
ment  this  evening.  Want  of  arrangement,  verbosity,  and 
eternal  repetitions,  have  more  than  sated  the  malice  of 
his  enemies. 

THURSDAY,  OCTOBER  15.  1807. 

MoRae  consumed  this  whole  day  with  somewhat  less 
discredit  to  himself  than  might  have  been  expected.  It 
appears  that  he  is  now  the  only  one  of  the  three  prose 
cuting  counsel  that  labors  to  bolster  up  the  credit  and 


456  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

consistency  of  Wilkinson.  Hay  has  declared,  out  of 
court,  "  he  has  washed  his  hands  of  him."  I  had  a 
friendly  letter  from  Devereux,  announcing  his  being 
about  to  return  to  Ireland,  where  he  expects  to  recover 
his  estate,  and.  assuring  me,  with  much  concern  for  my 
present  sufferings,  his  actions  shall  prove  his  friendship, 
whenever  his  means  can  give  it  that  operation  he  now  so 
generously  laments  he  can  not  direct  to  my  succor.  He 
assures  me,  however,  Pierce  Butler,  Esq.,  of  Philadelphia, 
has  directed  him,  without  solicitation,  to  invite  me  to  call 
upon  him  for  any  pecuniary  aid  I  may  need. 

FRIDAY,  OCTOBER  16,  1807. 

Wickham  followed  Martin,  instead  of  McRae,  yester 
day,  and  was,  I  think,  far  below  his  former  efforts.  He 
occupied  the  day  nearly.  It  was  to-day  McRae  exhib 
ited,  as  I  have  just  mentioned,  not  having  had  time  to 
write  down  yesterday's  notes  till  this  evening. 

SATURDAY,  OCTOBER  17,  1807. 

Wirt  spoke  very  much  to  engage  the  fancy  of  his  hear 
ers,  to-day,  without  affecting  their  understanding;  for  he 
can  not  reason  upon  the  facts  before  him,  and  can  no  more 
conduct  a  law  argument  than  I  could  raise  a  mountain. 
As  Junius  says  of  the  king,  "  The  feather  that  adorns 
him  supports  his  flight."  "  Strip  him  of  his  plumage 
and  you  fix  him  to  the  earth."  He  attempted  to  be  sar 
castic  on  all  his  opponents.  Randolph  he  charged  with 
a  decay  of  professional  and  oratorical  powers,  which  keep 
pace  with  the  march  of  his  years.  Martin  he  upbraided 
with  ill  earned  and  unmerited  fame,  which  had  disap- 


VISITING.  457 

pointed  the  expectations  of  the  Virginia  bar,  before  which 
he  had  shone  through  so  many  moons,  but  had  never  yet 
appeared  in  any  of  the  phases  of  the  law.  I  mention  this, 
as  a  specimen  of  his  efforts  in  the  figurative  style,  to  show 
how  unhappy  he  is  in  his  researches  into  those  mines  of 
taste  and  study  which  the  fancy  of  an  orator  never  ex^ 
plores  in  vain.  Wickham  he  boldly  accused  of  unadorned 
plagiarism,  in  appropriating  to  himself  the  arguments  of 
Dallas  and  Lewis  in  the  case  of  Fries,  and  even  express 
ing  their  ideas  with  inferior  eloquence.  I  took  some  notes 
of  this  orator's  performance,  which  Wickham  was  very 
glad  to  get,  as  he  was  absent  during  the  delivery  of  what 
w^as  so  pointedly  applied  to  himself.  "  O  that  mine  enemy 
would  write  a  book  ! "  Wilkinson  is  writing  one,  which, 
some  say,  is  to  ruin  not  only  Burr,  but  Jefferson  too. 

SUNDAY,  OCTOBER  18,  1807. 

I  staid  at  home  until  evening,  owing  to  the  high  wind 
and  dust  that  annoyed  every  one  who  ventured  abroad. 
But  I  drank  tea,  and  spent  the  evening  until  10  o'clock, 
at  Mrs.  Chevalier's.  I  there  met  Mrs.  David  Randolph, 
who  is  a  middle-aged  lady,  and  very  accomplished;  of 
charming  manners,  and  possessing  a  masculine  mind, 
From  this  lady,  the  near  relation  of  the  President,  and 
whose  brother  is  married  to  his  daughter,  I  heard  more 
pungent  strictures  upon  Jefferson's  head  and  heart,  be 
cause  they  were  better  founded  than  any  I  had  ever  heard 
before,  and  she  certainly  uttered  more  treason  than  my 
wife  ever  dreamed  of;  for  she  ridiculed  the  experiment 
of  a  Republic  in  this  country,  which  the  vices  and  incon 
stancy  of  parties  and  the  people  had  too  long  shown  to 


458  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

be  nothing  more  than  annual  series  of  essays  to  complete 
a  work  ill  begun,  and  which  appeared  to  be  nearly  worn 
out  before  it  was  half  finished.  But  "  she  always  was 
disgusted  with  the  fairest  ideas  of  a  modern  Republic, 
however  she  might  respect  those  of  antiquity."  And  as 
for  the  treason,  "  she  cordially  hoped,  whenever  Burr,  or 
any  one  else,  again  attempted  to  do  any  thing,  the  Atlan 
tic  States  would  be  comprised  in  the  plan."  She  talked 
much  of  Thomas  Moore,  with  whom  she  was  highly 
pleased  here,  and  recited  some  favorite  extracts  from 
him ;  but  she  is  very  much  mortified  by  the  indiscrimi 
nate  censure  of  Virginia,  with  which  he  has  requited  the 
hospitality  and  consideration  with  which  he  was  uni 
versally  treated  in  this  State — his  only  two  exceptions 
from  his  strictures  being  Wickham  and  the  Chief  Justice ; 
but  in  the  former  he  could  discover  no  accomplishment, 
beyond  professional  skill  and  a  slight  knowledge  of 
French,  with  a  talent  for  repartee,  and  an  imagination 
denied  all  favors  which  it  would  in  vain  solicit  from 
nature  and  the  sciences.  Of  the  Chief  Justice,  I  can  not 
speak,  out  of  the  precincts  of  the  law,  or  his  politics, 
which  I  already  begin  to  fear  will  exhibit  his  heart,  as 
unlike  those  of  Hardwick  or  Cambden,  as  his  mind  may 
resemble  theirs."  I  also  obtained  from  this  interesting 
lady  some  sketches  of  the  characters  of  General  Dayton 
and  Bollman,  with  both  of  whom  her  acute  penetration 
seems  to  have  had  sufiicient  opportunities  of  informing 
her  judgment.  The  sentence  of  my  moral  craniology  on 
these  heads  thus  presented  to  me  was  this,  that  the  one 
is  that  of  an  unprincipled  speculator  and  crafty  politician, 
who  never  appeals  to  his  reason  but  to  deceive,  and  never 


A    CHALLENGE.  459 

departs  from  it  but  to  be  sensual.  The  other  is  that  of 
an  individual  possessing  similar  talents,  more  highly  re 
fined  by  nature,  but  less  consolidated  by  experience,  with 
syren  faculties  of  speech  and  manner,  never  exerted  to 
captivate,  but  to  destroy  their  victim,  and  a  temperament 
of  antipathy,  rather  than  of  inclination  to  the  sex.  I, 
this  morning,  closed  long  letters  to  A.  Martin,  for  Ireland, 
after,  I  believe,  full  two  months'  neglect.  I  have  so  long 
been  dosed  with  the  incessant  vexations  of  my  prosecu 
tion,  that  I  sometimes  imagine  my  apathy  is  better  lent 
me  to  befit  me  for  the  future  frowns  of  unsteady  fortune, 
than  to  prepare  me  for  the  insidious  smiles.  I  am  already 
her  puppet. 

MONDAY,  OCTOBER  19,  1807. 

Wirt  concluded  with  perhaps  a  better  two  hours'  dis 
play  of  his  powers  than  he  has  yet  exhibited.  Lieutenant 
Jackson,  at  last,  made  his  appearance,  but  fell  very  short 
of  what  the  prosecutors  expected  of  him,  from  the  pur 
port  of  his  affidavits,  which  they  have  published  in  the 
"  Argus,"  and  of  his  own  infamy :  though  he  made  out 
enough  of  treachery  and  perjury,  probably,  to  swell  the 
current  of  suspicion  against  Burr's  treasonable  designs. 
Swartwout*  has  sent  "Wilkinson  a  challenge,  but  with 
out  effect. 


*  Swartwout  sent  a  challenge  to  General  Wilkinson  by  Israel  Smith, 
•which  he  (W.)  refused  to  read,  saying  that    "he  held  no  correspondence 
with  traitors  or  conspirators."     This  raised  Swartwout's  ire,  and  induced 
him  to  publish  the  following  in  the  "  Virginia  Gazette:" 
To  His  EXCELLENCY  BRIGADIER-GENERAL  JAMES  WILKINSON. 

SIR  : — When  once  the  chain  of  infamy  grapples  to  a  knave,  every  new 
link  creates  a  fresh  sensation  of  detestation  and  horror.     As  it  gradually 


460  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

TUESDAY,  OCTOBER  20,  1807. 

I  have  said  nothing  of  my  relief,  yesterday,  by  a  letter 
from  my  beloved,  bearing  the  intelligence  of  her  recovery 
from  a  fever.  Who  would  think  I  was  glad  to  receive 
this  letter  !  I  had  been  miserable  for  three  weeks  in  ap 
prehension  for  Harman.  This  new  calamity  has  affected 
me  with  a  kind  of  lethargy,  from  which  I  awake  often  in 
surprise,  to  wonder  that  we  are  all  four  alive,  as  if  life, 
upon  any  terms,  was  unnatural  in  our  present  prospects. 
0,  Melancholy !  how  long  wilt  thou  brood  upon  me.  I 
have  begun  a  letter  to  my  wife.  Sustain  her  strength,  O 
God,  who  approvest  her  virtue,  and  can  best  assuage  her 
sufferings.  Mr.  Marshall,  at  length,  has  delivered  an 


or  precipitately  unfolds  itself,  we  behold  in  each  succeeding  connection, 
and  arising  from  the  same  corrupt  and  contaminated  source,  the  same  base 
and  degenerate  conduct.  I  could  not  have  supposed  that  you  would  have 
completed  the  catalogue  of  your  crimes  by  adding  to  the  guilt  of  treachery, 
forgery  and  perjury,  the  accomplishment  of  cowardice.  But  every  succeed 
ing  day  presents  you  in  a  new  light  to  the  public,  and  plunges  you  still 
deeper  in  crime  and  ignominy.  Having  failed  in  two  different  attempts  to 
procure  an  interview  with  you,  such  as  no  gentleman  of  honor  could  refuse, 
I  have  only  to  pronounce  and  publish  you  to  the  world  as  a  coward  and 
poltroon.  One  word  more  before  I  take  my  leave.  This  is  a  critical  moment 
in  the  life  of  your  Excellency.  Your  reputation  is  gone  for  ever,  and  your 
life  totters  on  the  verge  of  dissolution.  As  you  can  not  pretend  to  the  es 
teem  of  any  man  living,  you  should  have  sought  a  momentary  reputation 
in  the  applause  of  even  your  enemies.  You  should  have  been  brave,  and  died 
like  a  man.  Your  enemies  would  then  have  forgotten  the  wrongs  you  had 
done  them.  Your  country  would  have  been  appeased,  and  even  Judas  for 
given.  You  should  have  considered  that  there  is  some  small  merit  in  even 
a  villain's  bravery ;  it  was  all  you  were  supposed  to  possess  this  side  of 
the  grave.  You  should  have  made  much  of  it;  it  might  have  served  to 
wipe  away  some  portion  of  the  stain  which  your  treachery  and  turpitude 
have  fixed  upon  your  character.  S.  SWARTWOUT. 

Richmond,  2lst   October,  1807. 


LONGINGS.  461 

elaborate  opinion,  purporting  that  he  can  not  commit  any 
of  us  for  treason  ;  not  because  we  had  none  in  our  hearts, 
but  because  we  did  none  with  our  hands.  But  the  last 
article  has  determined  him  to  commit  me  for  trial,  to 
Ohio,  for  a  misdemeanor.  Burr  is,  of  course,  ordered  on 
this  new  dance.  I  shall,  however,  I  fancy,  leave  the  little 
emperor  to  exhibit  in  it  alone ;  for  it  is  now  time  I 
should  withdraw  behind  the  scenes,  even  though  I  should 
employ  .Duane  to  shift  them.  I  shall  therefore  set  out  to 
Philadelphia,  first  for  this  object,  and  next  to  close  my 
pecuniary  affairs  with  Burr  there,  which  I  could  not  do 
here.  I  have  given  bail  for  my  appearance  at  Chil- 
licothe,  the  4th  of  January ;  bondsmen,  Smith  and 
Commins. 

WEDNESDAY,  OCTOBER  21,  1807. 

Burr  is  in  a  sort  of  keeping  at  his  own  house,  en 
deavoring  to  get  all  his  bail  renewed  in  the  civil  suits 
here  depending  against  him.  Martin  has  become  his 
security,  I  believe,  to  the  amount  of  $15,000.  How  much 
of  this  he  may  eventually  sink  in  the  purchase  of  the 
old  staple  of  experience,  he  will  ascertain  in  about  six 
months. 

THURSDAY,  OCTOBER  22,  1807. 

Wrote  to  my  wife  a  letter  to  go  by  Ashley,  which  I 
will  not  close  until  the  moment  before  I  leave  this  town. 
It  will  reach  her,  and,  I  trust,  tend  to  support  her  until  I 
can  escape,  and  then  into  Florida  with  her,  if  necessary, 
which  I  am  determined  to  attempt,  rather  than  play  a 
part  in  a  second  trial,  which  would  separate  me  from  my 
family,  probably,  for  not  less  than  a  year  from  hence. 


462  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

Was  I  criminal  in  seeking  some  little  refuge  from  my 
trouble  this  evening  at  the  Musical  Society  ?  I  met  there 
Mesdames  Wickham,  Chevalier  and  the  Misses  M.  I 
only  took  a  part  in  one  quartette,  by  particular  desire  of 
those  ladies.  Midnight. 

FRIDAY,  OCTOBER  23,  1807. 

Breakfasted  at  Mrs.  Chevalier's,  where  I  met  a  pleasant 
party.  At  ten  o'clock  I  rode  out  to  visit  Banks,  and  pre 
scribe  for  an  indisposition  with  which  he  is  affected. 
Smith,  being  finally  discharged  by  the  Chief  Justice,  left 
me  yesterday  for  New  York.  I  am  endeavoring  to  ob 
tain  a  lot  of  negroes,  in  partnership  with  Dr.  Commins, 
though  I  fear  we  shall  not  succeed.  This  evening  visited 
Wickham,  to  fee  him  with  a  few — words.  He  thinks,  in 
case  Government  should  be  disposed  to  desire  my  convic 
tion  at  Chillicothe,  Woodbridge's  evidence  will  enable 
them  easily  to  affect  it.  Revisited  and  spent  the  evening 
with  Banks.  He  has  offered  to  lend  me  one  hundred 
dollars,  which  I  shall  probably  accept,  to  enable  me  to 
return  Chevalier's  money.  I  take  a  horse  and  gig  from 
Banks,  as  there  is  no  conveyance  from  hence,  in  any  pub 
lic  or  private  carriage,  for  ten  .days  to  come.  Burr,  Mar 
tin,  Commins,  and  myself,  with  two  servants,  will  proba 
bly  form  a  cavalcade  to  move  to-morrow  or  next  day.  I 
must  raise  money  in  Philadelphia,  on  chances,  and  even 
strain  a  point  with  Commius,  there  to  aid  me  whatever 
success  I  may  have  with  Burr. 

SATURDAY,  OCTOBER  24,  1807. 
I  have  been  all  day  too  ambulatory  to  spend  a  moment 


METAL.  463 

with  these  notes,  before  now,  11,  P.  M.  I  am  just  re 
turned  from  a  two-mile  walk  in  the  dark,  to  take  leave 
of  the  family  of  my  friend,  John  Banks,  who  has  kindly 
pressed  me  to  borrow  the  largest  sum,  I  believe,  he  could 
spare.  And  before  I  lie  down  to  take  two  hours'  rest, 
before  I  am  called  up  to  set  off  in  the  stage  for  the  Fede 
ral  city,  I  must  note  my  having  closed  a  letter  I  began 
several  days  ago  to  my  wife,  to  go  by  Ashley,  who  will 
commence  his  journey  to-morrow  or  the  next  day.  My 
excellent  friend  Jos.  Lewis,  I  find  by  letter  from  him  this 
evening,  has  removed  my  fears  for  my  credit  and  honor, 
by  remitting  to  Mr.  Chevalier  §1,000,  to  replace  that  sum 
lately  lent  me  by  Mr.  C.  The  house  it  seems,  in  Phila 
delphia,  must  still  suspend  my  credit,  on  account  of  the 
removal  of  Sander's  attachment.  But  J.  L.  will  lend  his 
generous  friendship  to  succor  that  honor  of  a  friend  in 
distress,  who  is  not,  I  trust,  unworthy  of  the  sympathies 
of  his  liberal  heart.  His  counsel  will  soon  direct  my  dis 
tracted  cares  to  peace. 

WASHINGTON  CITY,  TUESDAY,  OCT.  27,  1807. 

Luther  Martin  has  just  made  his  final  immersion  into 
the  daily  bath  of  his  faculties,  after  a  series  of  appari 
tions,  in  all  the  phases  of  his  accustomed  orbit.  Whether 
in  a  stage-coach,  or  a  tavern,  he  is  indefatigable,  under 
the  united  stimulus  of  egotism  and  benevolence,  to  harrass 
the  gratitude  or  tax  the  patience  of  his  friends.  At  3 
o'clock,  A.  M.,  on  Saturday  morning,  at  Richmond,  he 
joined  us  in  the  coach,  and  neither  the  privation  of  sleep, 
nor  the  fatigue  of  the  journey,  have  in  the  least  checked 
his  loquacity,  or  lessened  his  good  humor.  He  read  to 


464  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

me  an  able  pamphlet,  on  the  subject  of  Jefferson's  rejec 
tion  of  the  new  British  Treaty,  while  we  were  jolting  and 
jarring  over  as  bad  a  road  as  any  country  can  lament, 
with  more  dispatch  than  I  could  peruse  it  in  my  chair. 
His  strong  memory  made  him  interesting  all  the  way,  in 
his  anecdotes  and  stories;  and  he  is  not  unhappy  in  his 
powers  of  ridicule,  which  is  well  pointed,  until  it  soon 
becomes  blunted  by  the  suggestions  of  his  benevolence 
and  the  abrasions  of  his  verbosity,  which,  like  the  revo 
lutions  of  a  grindstone,  soon  wear  away  the  subject  ap 
plied  to  it,  without  undergoing  in  itself  any  sensible  dim 
inution.  We  spent  last  night  at  Alexandria,  where  we 
recruited  our  strength  by  a  good  night's  rest,  and  reached 
this  city  to*day,  by  a  packet-boat,  about  1,  P.  M.  Here, 

at  Hotel,  Martin  has  kept  up  an  incessant  fire 

against  Democrats  and  the  Administration,  for  he  has 
had  no  want  of  that  ammunition  with  which  he  always 
primes  and  loads  for  such  duty.  In  our  own  room,  occu 
pied  by  Commins,  Martin  and  myself,  he  is  not  content 
to  confine  his  feats  for  the  gratification  of  ourselves  and 
a  few  occasional  visitors.  He  has  several  times  carried 
his  arms  into  the  enemies'  country — I  mean  the  public 
room  occupied  chiefly  by  members  of  Congress,  with 
many  of  whom  he  has  no  acquaintance,  while  all  admire 
and  acknowledge  him  privileged.  I  had  the  satisfaction 
of  reading  the  President's  message  in  half  an  hour  after 
it  was  communicated  to-day  to  Congress.  The  news  is 
here,  that  Jefferson  will  yet  support  Wilkinson,  though 
he  may  not  find  a  more  respectable  Democrat  than  McRae 
to  back  him.  Yet  he  says  nothing  in  the  message  of  the 
General's  honor  as  a  soldier,  or  his  fidelity  as  a  citizen. 


PAMPHLETEERING.  465 

He  now  speaks  only  of  his  energy,  which,  in  conjunction 
with  the  exertions  of  the  army  and  the  patriotism  of  the 
militia,  dissipated  the  plots  that  were  formed  on  the  Mis 
sissippi.  The  same  paragraph  of  the  message  opens  by 
implicating  a  contingency  that  may  induce  the  Govern 
ment  party  in  Congress  to  impeach  Mr.  Marshall,  by  sig 
nifying  a  doubt,  whether  we  have  not  still  the  use  of  our 
necks  through  the  misconduct  of  the  Judge.  Should  the 
latter  suffer,  't  were  penance  for  that  timidity  of  conduct, 
which  was  probably  as  instrumental  in  keeping  him  from 
imbruing  his  hands  in  our  blood  as  it  was  operative  in 
inducing  him  to  continue  my  vexations,  to  pacify  the 
menaces  and  clamorous  yells  of  the  cerberus  of  Democ 
racy  with  a  sop  which  he  would  moisten,  at  least,  with 
the  tears  of  my  family.  Should  this  be  well  founded, 
what  pity  would  sacrifice  to  his  sufferings ;  and  if  it  is 
undoubtedly  true,  that  in  a  private  conversation  he  had 
with  Martin,  soon  after  the  latter  first  arrived  in  Rich 
mond,  he  observed  to  him,  "  that  it  would  be  difficult  or 
dangerous  for  a  jury  to  venture  to  acquit  Burr,  however 
innocent  they  might  think  him,"  who  hence  will  believe 
that  the  greatest  talents  lodged  in  such  nerves  are  not, 
when  exercised  in  the  judgment-seat,  rather  a  public 
curse  executed  on  a  nation,  than  a  natural  blessing  con 
ferred  upon  the  individual.  Besides,  the  seasonable  ap 
pearance,  at  this  crisis,  of  a  pamphlet  by  J.  Daveiss,  the 
Judge's  brother-in-law,  and  late  District  Federal  Attorney 
for  Kentucky,  removed  from  his  office,  for  his  premature 
and  unsuccessful  prosecution  of  Burr ;  the  indiscriminate 
censure,  in  this  pamphlet,  of  Jefferson,  "Wilkinson  and 

Burr ;  the  probable  information  the  Judge  must  have  had 
30 


466  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

of  this  intended  publication,  when  he  opened  to  the  pros 
ecutors  as  wide  a  field  of  investigation  as  they  desired  on 
their  motion  for  our  recommitment ;  and,  in  short,  the 
well-known  spirit  of  clanship  and  co-operation  with 
which  the  Marshalls  and  all  their  connections  are  so  uni 
formly  animated — all  these  motives  will  clearly  explain 
how  readily  the  Judge  must  be  disposed  to  favor  alike 
the  ruin  of  Burr,  "Wilkinson  and  Jefferson,  in  every  thing 
short  of  murder.  Ah  !  generous  and  accomplished  Mer 
cer,  how  will  your  virtues  hereafter  receive  my  devotions, 
if  you  should  think  them  polluted  with  these  blasphemies 
against  the  admired  relative  of  your  adored  ?  But  as  my 
reflections  are  penned  for  no  eye  but  that  of  my  wife  and 
two  or  three  confidential  friends,  it  will  not  be  suspected 
by  those  who  know  my  heart,  that  whatever  share  of 
further  sufferings  may  result  to  me  from  the  conduct  of 
the  Judge,  can  in  the  least  generate  my  suspicions  of  his 
integrity,  or  warp  my  judgment  of  his  behavior.  Com- 
mins  leaves  this  early  to-morrow  morning,  for  Balti 
more,  where  I  expect  to  join  him  the  day  after  to-mor- 
morrow.  I  entertain  strong  hopes  of  being  able  to 
obtain  some  negroes  in  partnership  with  him.  Burr  did 
not  come  along  with  us  from  Richmond,  but  will,  we  all 
believe,  be  through  here  in  a  day  or  two.  I  am  enabled 
to  say,  from  separate  information  I  have  obtained  from 
Martin  and  Commins,  he  has  made  use  of  all  the  confi 
dence  he  could  inspire  them  with,  to  the  utmost  extent  at 
Richmond,  where  he  has  induced  them  to  become  his 
securities,  in  all  the  civil  suits  instituted  there  against  him, 
to  amount  of  $36,000.  I  have  no  doubt  he  has  set  every 
engine  of  his  ingenuity  at  work  to  effect  this  object.  The 


PECULATING.  467 

credulity  and  good  nature  of  Martin,  who  worships  even 
his  vices,  and  is  as  assiduous  in  enlarging  upon  his  looks 
and  sayings  as  ever  Bos  well  delighted  in  such  drudgery 
for  Johnson ;  and  the  vanity  of  Commins,  to  purchase  the 
interest  of  a  man  whose  resources  appear  to  his  under 
standing  inexhaustible ;  both  needed  but  little  the  col 
lateral  security  of  Pollock,  which,  however,  Burr  has  not 
only  exhibited  to  them,  but  he  has  besides  laid  before 
them  my  expectations  of  succeeding  to  a  large  fortune 
in  Europe ;  thereby  meaning  to  persuade  them  also,  no 
doubt,  that  he  will  then  control  my  finances ;  although 
he  had  promised  me  he  would  not  communicate  my  pros 
pects  of  the  probability  of  that  event  to  any  one.  Such 
is  his  honor ;  such  his  unerring  purpose  to  take  every 
chance  of  converting  even  the  hopes  of  his  acquaintances 
to  his  own  interest.  On  the  whole,  I  should  be  well 
pleased  with  this  last  liberty  he  has  taken  with  me,  if  it 
should  hereafter  make  a  part  of  that  basis  on  which  I 
shall  endeavor  to  ground  his  effects  to  arrange  my  present 
pecuniary  demands  upon  him.  It  is  quite  unaccountable 
how  he  has  disposed  of  all  the  cash  he  raised  in  Kentucky 
last  year.  Jourdari  has  convinced  me  that  he,  Burr,  actu 
ally  received  through  his  hands,  at  Lexington,  not  less 
than  $40,000,  of  which  he  never  advanced  more  than 
$15,000  to  all  his  agents  and  associates,  to  say  nothing  of 
all  the  property  he  procured  upon  his  drafts.  He 
could  since  have  spent  but  little  money,  having  received 
much  from  the  United  States,  and  having  been  in  custody 
until  very  lately.  I  shall,  to-morrow,  endeavor  to  investi 
gate  the  further  views  of  Government  upon  me. 


468  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

WEDNESDAY,  OCTOBER  28,  1807. 

I  have,  this  morning,  written  by  Martin  to  Rodney, 
the  United  States  Attorney-General,  to  request  him  to 
inform  me,  officially,  whether  Government  is  now  dis 
posed  to  prosecute  me  any  further,  in  conformity  with 
the  late  adjudication  of  the  Chief  Justice,  or  will  finally 
discharge  me,  as  has  been  done,  I  hear,  in  the  case  of 
Tyler ;  or  will  dispense  with  my  personal  appearance  at 
Chillicothe  until  the  September  session  of  the  Court 
there,  as  Government  can  not  probably  be  prepared  to 
prosecute  at  the  next  January  term ;  and,  in  the  mean 
time,  the  occasions  of  my  family,  and  the  serious  de 
mands  of  my  private  affairs,  require  my  presence  at 
Natchez.  I  am  very  anxious  to  receive  an  answer  before 
dinner,  in  which  I  much  fear  I  shall  not  be  gratified, 
through  my  friend  M.'s  more  indispensable  devotion  to 
his  libations.  I  shall,  however,  note  the  result,  I  hope, 
to-night. 

But  I  have  been  disappointed;  for,  though  I  spent  a 
dollar  in  coach-hire  to  go  with  Martin,  this  evening,  in 
quest  of  Rodney,  we  could  not  see  him,  as  he  was  not 
returned  from  the  President's,  where  he  dined.  Martin, 
I  find,  is  very  incontinent  of  every  thing,  which  ordinary 
discretion  should  not  disclose,  where  there  is  no  injunc 
tion,  in  terms  of  secrecy.  He  assured  me,  to-day,  he  is 
prepared  to  sacrifice  $10,000  for  Burr,  if  the  collateral 
security  of  Pollock  should  fail ;  that  it  will  be  nothing 
more  than  diminishing  a  provision  of  so  much  he  had 
made  by  will  for  his  three  daughters,  which  he  had  orig 
inally  destined  for  a  Miss  Thompson,  now  Mrs.  Living- 


WASHINGTON    CITY.  469 

ston,  to  whom  he  gave  an  allowance  of  §600  a  year,  for 
six  or  seven  years.  But  her  husband  is  now  richer  than 
himself;  "however,  let  the  worst  happen,"  he  added, 
"  he  had  signed  blank  bonds,  which  he  left  to  be  filled 
up  by  the  attorneys  employed  against  Burr ; "  and  such 
bonds,  he  says,  are  void  by  late  decisions  of  the  English 
Courts,  adopted  by  the  Courts  here.  This  would  seem 
inconsistent  with  the  warm  spirit  of  integrity  which 
seems  to  breathe  in  all  his  thoughts  and  actions.  And 
he  declared  accordingly,  he  would  not  take  advantage 
of  the  circumstance.  I  also  find  his  idolatrous  admira 
tion  of  Mrs.  Alston  is  almost  as  .excessive  as  my  own, 
but  far  more  beneficial  to  his  interest,  and  injurious  to  his 
judgment,  as  it  is  the  medium  of  his  blind  attachment  to 
her  father,  whose  secrets  and  views  past,  present,  or  to 
come,  he  is,  and  wishes,  to  remain  ignorant  of.  NOT 
can  he  see  a  speck  in  the  character  or  conduct  of  Al 
ston,  for  the  best  of  all  reasons  with  him ;  namely,  that 
Alston  has  such  a  wife. 

This  city  has  certainly  no  resemblance  to  any  other 
upon  earth.  Its  extent,  as  originally  laid  out,  has  been 
known  for  some  years  past,  upon  paper;  but  a  few  of 
its  singular  features,  as  they  now  smile  or  frown  upon 
the  Potomac,  are  remarkable.  As  to  streets,  literally 
speaking,  there  is  not  one  yet  in  existence,  unless  the 
few  wide  paths  and  half-made  roads  that  intersect  each 
other  can  be  called  streets.  On  a  hill,  at  the  head  of 
one  of  these,  about  a  mile  from  the  river,  stand  the  two 
wings,  without  the  body,  of  what  is  to  constitute,  but  is 
already  called,  the  Capitol.  They  are  cumbrous,  ill-pro 
portioned,  piles  of  building  to  my  eye ;  with  too  small  a 


470  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

space  for  the  central  building,  if  ever  reared.  About 
another  mile's  distance,  to  the  westward,  stands  the  Presi 
dent's  house,  with  a  low  dead-wall  in  front,  and  an 
ordinary  post-and-rail  fence  in  the  rear  of  it.  On  either 
side  of  it,  stands  what  are  called  its  wings,  which  any 
person  would  require  to  be  told  were  such  before  he  could 
believe  it ;  for  they  are  of  brick,  and  at  too  great  a  dis 
tance  to  appear  to  belong  to  the  large  White  House  be 
tween  them  any  more  than  to  the  Capitol.  They  are  each 
a  row  of  ordinary  brick  houses  ;  in  those  to  the  West  is 
kept  the  Post-office ;  in  those  to  the  East,  the  Secretary 
of  State's  office  is,  etc. ;  and  both,  it  is  said,  are  to  be  con 
nected  with  the  center  by  a  garden.  But  the  last  feature 
of  architecture  has  not  yet  made  its  appearance.  From 
the  Capitol  you  behold,  in  four  or  five  different  directions, 
at  the  distance  of  from  one  to  four  miles  apart,  rows  of 
houses,  each  of  five  or  six  together,  so  that  the  whole 
appears  like  a  jumble  of  fragments  of  villages,  except 
that  part,  being  one  and  a  half  mile  north-east  of  the 
Capitol,  where  the  Navy-yard  is  said  to  stand,  which  is 
more  built  up  than  any  other  quarter  of  the  city.  But 
after  all,  every  foreigner,  after  his  arrival  here,  will  in 
quire  for  fifty  years  to  come,  as  is  now  very  common, 
"  where  is  the  city  of  Washington  ?  "  Martin  visited  Rob. 
Smith  this  evening,  where  he  heard  Wilkinson  extolled, 
and  Burr  as  heavily  denounced,  as  if  he  had  not  yet  been 
tried.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith  declared  Government  had 
abundant  proofs  against  Burr,  which  they  could  not  pro 
duce  from  confidential  restrictions.  Martin,  before  he 
left  them,  convinced  himself  they  would  gladly  dispense 
with  his  visit. 


NO  WAR!  471 

THURSDAY,  OCTOBER  29,  1807. 

I  went  this  morning  with  Martin,  in  a  carriage,  to  visit 
Rodney,  before  breakfast.  R.  is  a  trifling  negative  char 
acter,  from  whose  manner  I  could  at  once  perceive  he  had 
yesterday  spoken  with  Jefferson  of  my  arrival  here.  He 
abruptly  told  us,  "  Government  meant  certainly  to  pro 
ceed  against  us ; "  on  which  he  was  received  with  a  volley 
of  abuse  by  Martin,  who  thanked  his  God  for  the  news, 
as  Government  would  thereby  hasten  the  consummation 
of  their  own  infamy.  Rodney  seemed  surprised  to  learn 
from  us  that  not  a  single  witness  had  as  yet  been  bound 
or  summoned  to  appear  in  Ohio.  I  told  him,  as  my  call 
upon  him  was  in  his  official  character,  I  would  leave  him 
the  letter  I  had  yesterday  written  to  him,  which  he  prom 
ised  he  would,  and  did,  answer  this  evening,  by  three  or 
four  lines,  saying,  "  he  could  only  observe,  at  present,  that 
I  would  be  bound  to  attend,  pursuant  to  the  recognizance 
I  entered  into  at  Richmond.  So  he  is  also  trained  to 
teaze,  if  he  can  not  injure,  the  infidels  who  worship  not 
the  divinity  of  Jefferson.  Martin  has  solemnly  pledged 
himself  to  meet  Government,  at  the  sitting  of  the  Court 
in  January,  in  Ohio ;  to  see  things  are  conducted  regu 
larly,  so  far  as  may  concern  Burr  and  me,  whether  we 
personally  appear  there  or  not.  He  has  found  out  from 
Robert  Smith,  that  Jefferson  has  no  thoughts  of  war 
with  Britain,  of  which  he  has  so  much  affected  the  con 
trary  ;  for  he  will  never  act  as  he  speaks  or  writes ;  he 
will  always  counteract  his  political  professions  by  his 
back-stairs  committees,  until  Jack  Randolph  shall  finally 
sever  him  from  them.  Burr,  I  hear,  is  arrived  at  George- 


472  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

town,  three  miles  from  hence,  up  the  river.  If  so,  he 
will  probably  be  of  our  party  to-morrow,  to  Baltimore. 
"We  set  off  at  five  in  the  morning,  in  the  stage.  Several 
northern  members  of  Congress,  whose  names  I  know  not, 
have  had  the  curiosity  or  politeness  to  visit  us.  From 
one  of  them  I  was  truly  concerned  to  learn  the  death  of 
Mr.  Hunt,  which  happened  last  July,  as  he  himself  pre 
dicted,  on  his  new  purchase  at  French  Grant,  on  the 
Ohio.  This  place  has  been  extremely  tiresome  to  me. 
The  taverns  are  very  dear,  and  badly  kept;  so  that  I  shall 
leave  it  with  pleasure.  I  wrote  to-day  to  my  landlord, 
"Walton,  John  Banks,  and  my  wife,  to  gratify,  as  far  as  I 
could,  all  their  cares  and  solicitude  for  my  future  desti 
nies.  To  all  I  acknowledged  that  tribute  I  so  justly  owe 
to  Martin,  who,  with  better  breeding,  and  a  redemption 
from  his  habits  of  inebriety,  would  be  a  perfect  character. 
His  heart  is  truly  overflowing  with  the  purest  milk  of 
benevolence.  His  potations  may  sometimes,  perhaps,  co 
agulate,  but  they  will  never  acidify  the  fluid  with  which 
it  is  so  well  replenished.  May  it  never  be  wasted  on  the 
unworthy. 

"WASHINGTON,  OCTOBER  30,  1807. 

Rose  before  five  this  morning;  but,  as  the  coach  then 
drove  up  with  a  cargo  of  eleven  passengers,  I  have  been 
detained  here  another  day.  I  have  borne  the  ennui,  with 
which  I  have  spent  it,  with  such  patience  that  I  would 
not  walk  fifty  yards  from  the  tavern  to  visit  the  Hall  of 
Congress,  or  observe  how  they  ballot  there  for  their 
officers  or  their  committees ;  though  I  certainly  should 
have  gone  so  far  to  hear  a  debate,  had  there  been  any. 


GENEROUS    BARBER.  473 

The  election  of  officers  reminds  me  of  a  curious  Repub 
lican  caper  at  Richmond,  last  winter,  which,  as  it  was  of 
a  negative  nature,  can  not  be  recorded  in  that  State,  but 
should  be  known  every-where  else,  to  convict  it  of  im 
moral  conduct,  if  not  of  impiety.  It  was  nothing  more 
than  a  "  remembering  to  forget,"  on  the  part  of  the  Legis 
lature,  I  mean  the  house  of  delegates,  during  the  whole 
session,  the  immemorial  custom  to  appoint  a  chaplain. 
Burr,  I  hear  again,  is  somewhere  in  this  city.  But  I  no 
more  depend  upon  his  appearance  than  on  that  of  a  new 
comet.  We  start  to-morrow  again. 

BALTIMORE,  NOVEMBER  1,  1807. 

Before  I  mention  my  having  arrived  here,  at  last,  I  shall 
note  the  generosity  of  my  barber  at  Washington,  who  re 
luctantly  received  three-quarters  of  a  dollar  from  me,  be 
cause  I  observed  to  him,  "  I  should  give  him  more  than 
his  charge,  if  I  was  not  rather  poor  at  present."  And  he 
evinced  his  sincerity  by  assuring  me  he  had  $100  at  my 
service,  which  he  requested  me  to  accept.  How  is  this  to 
be  accounted  for?  Devereux,  Hendren,  O'Hennessy,  and 
Butler  will  all  exclaim,  "  He  was  an  Irishman  ! "  So  he 
is :  his  name  is  Dixon,  and  it  shall  ever  remain  recorded 
in  the  duties  of  my  gratitude.  Yesterday,  Martin  and 
myself  were  wedged  in  among  ten  other  passengers  in  the 
coach.  A  Mr.  Blount,  brother  of  the  late  Governor  of 
Tennessee,  was  of  the  number.  He  is  an  infuriated  Demo 
crat,  was  at  the  battle  of  Germantown,  and  ordered  the 
aim  of  the  riflemen  who  shot  General  Agnew  in  that 
affair.  I  saw  Tyler  on  alighting  from  the  coach,  who 
showed  me  his  discharge,  in  the  handwriting  of  Rodney, 


474  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

whom  he  declares  he  has  not  seen,  having  received  it 
from  Captain  Pike,  who  escorted   him  to  Washington 
City.      Tyler   denies   his   having   made   any   deposition 
against  me  any  where,  and  professes  his  friendship  and 
attachment   to  Burr,  whom   he   is  very  anxious  to  see 
before  he  sets  out  for  New  York  with  Sam.  Swartwout. 
To-day  I  left  my  cards  at  Pringle's  and  the  Gilmore's. 
Of  these  families,  I  only  saw  Mrs.  Wm.  Gilmore,  who 
seemed  glad  to  see  me.     I  have  a  little  curiosity  to  collect 
in  my  fallen  fortune  as  many  exceptions  as  I  can  establish 
to   the   general   condemnation   of  mankind   pronounced 
upon  them  by  the  adversity  of  individuals.      I  break 
fasted  with  Martin,  and  shall  dine  with  him  to-morrow, 
as  well  as  all  the  Burrites  in  town.     Burr,  I  hear,  was, 
last  night,  at  Georgetown.      His  appearance  here  is  as 
much  a  matter  of  curiosity  with  his  enemies  as  of  inter 
est  with  his  friends.      But  the  elements  of  his  orbit,  I 
repeat,  are  as  unsettled  as  those  of  a  new  comet.     Mar 
tin  thinks  he  might  have  been  detained  to  raise  money 
enough  to  pay  his  tavern-bills,  etc.,  while  Commins  says 
Burr  assured  him  he  should  suffer  no  detention  on  that 
account.     So  it  uniformly  turns  out,  that  no  two  persons 
of  his  acquaintance  will  ever  understand  him  alike ;  and 
yet  all  who  still  adhere  to  him  profess  a  unity  of  con 
fidence   in   him.      Commins  has  brought  on  a  fever  by 
his  debaucheries.      I  shall  stay  here  at  least  till  Wed 
nesday.     11,  P.  M. 

BALTIMORE,  NOVEMBER  2,  1807. 

I  spent  the  principal  part  of  the  morning  with  Martin, 
reading  the  papers  and  conversing  with  various  visitors 


ROGUES'    MARCH.  475 

he  received.  The  news  we  deemed  worthy  of  most  notice 
"before  dinner,  was  that  of  two  arrivals  in  town,  namely, 
Wilkinson's  baggage,  preparatory  to  his  taking  up  his 
quarters  at  Fort  McIIenry,  near  this  city,  and  Burr's 
appearance  at  the  French  Hotel  in  Gay  street.  So  the 
Brigadier,  as  I  expected,  will  probably  never  revisit  the 
Mississippi  in  his  present  command,  nor  probably  long 
retain  it  here,  notwithstanding  all  the  control  he  may  pos 
sess  over  the  heart  of  Jefferson,  and  though  he  boasted, 
not  long  since,  at  Richmond,  that  he  would  be  at  Natchez 
in  thirty  days.  Burr  will  probably  show  himself  as  little 
as  possible  to  the  public.  He  has,  therefore,  sneaked  into 
obscure  quarters,  though  Steward,  who  now  manages  this 
house  since  Evans's  death,  declared  he  would  accommo 
date  Col.  Burr  and  his  friends  with  as  much  attention  in 
their  adversity  as  he  could  have  done  in  the  days  of  their 
better  fortune.  The  expression  of  this  sentiment  was 
drawn  from  him  on  the  occasion  of  some  illiberal  Demo 
crats  threatening  to  leave  the  house,  if  we  were  received 
into  it.  I  dined  with  Martin,  who  had  a  select  party, 
though  he  left  out  two  Burrites,  Tyler  and  Luckett. 
Burr  called  upon  Martin,  for  a  few  moments,  before  din 
ner.  He  returned  in  the  evening,  and  had  a  long  confer 
ence  with  Tyler  in  an  adjoining  room  ;  during  which  the 
attention  of  our  party  in  the  dining-room  was  called  forth 
to  receive,  at  the  windows,  some  public  honors  offered 
to  us  from  the  street.  A  desperate  Democratic  printer, 
commanding  a  company  of  one  of  the  city  regiments, 
whose  name  is  Frely,  drew  up  his  men  under  the  win 
dows,  and  there  halted,  while  his  fife  and  drum  played 
the  "  Rogues'  March  "  for  us ;  then  gave  three  cheers,  and 


476  THE  BLENNEKHASSETT  PAPERS. 

marched  off.  This  salutation  has  prepared  fresh  fuel  to 
keep  up  the  blaze  of  Martin's  wrath  against  all  his  oppo 
nents.  Burr,  on  his  return  with  Tyler  to  us,  said,  "  these 
excesses  of  indecency  always  recoil  on  those  who  enter 
into  them ; "  and  he  soon  after  withdrew,  not  evidently 
indifferent  to  such  manifestations  of  public  regards, 
which,  however,  I  am  sure,  Martin  will  make  his  own 
use  of  with  good  effect  against  "Wright,  the  Governor  of 
Maryland,  whom  Martin  first  brought  into  notice,  which 
the  Governor  no  longer  remembers.  I  left  soon  after,  that 
is,  about  8,  P.  M.,  but  did  not  go  to  bed  till  11.  At  10, 
I  had  a  long  conversation  with  Tyler,  who,  I  find,  has 
long  since  taken  up  all  my  impressions  of  Burr,  and  will 
spare  no  labor  to  infuse  his  opinions  into  the  prejudices 
of  Colonel  Swartwout,  whom,  he  has  no  doubt,  he  will 
induce  to  adopt  his  sentiments. 

TUESDAY,  NOVEMBER  3,  1807. 

Having  accidentally  met  Hayden,  the  dentist,  this 
morning,  who  mentioned  to  me  the  late  arrival,  at  the 
Academy,  of  a  grand  electrical  machine,  I  could  not  sup 
press  my  wishes  to  see  it.  Hayden  obligingly  offered  to 
walk  there  with  me,  which  I  accepted.  He  introduced 
me  to  the  Principal  of  the  Seminary,  who  received  me 
very  politely,  and  presented  me  to  a  Mr.  Paguet,  who 
took  upon  him  the  exhibition  of  the  powers  of  the  ma 
chine.  This  was  a  superb  plate  of  forty-six  French  inches 
diameter,  with  a  conductor,  forming  three  sides  of  a  par 
allelogram,  one  of  them  in  front  of,  and  parallel  to,  the 
plate  ;  the  two  others,  perpendicular  to  it.  The  machine, 
with  two  turns  of  the  plate,  gave  sparks  twelve  inches 


JUDGE   LYNCH.  477 

long,  and  charged  a  battery,  about  fifteen  feet  of  coated 
glass,  in  ten  turns,  which  killed  a  duck.  On  my  return 
from  the  seminary,  I  repaired  to  L.  Martin's,  where  one 
of  his  students  informed  me  he  expected  a  mob  would 
this  evening  attack  the  house,  and  offer  violence  to  Mr. 
Martin,  Col.  Burr  and  myself,  of  which  notice  had  been 
given  by  hand-bills,  which  had  been  circulated  through 
the  town.  Martin  was  not  at  home.  I  eagerly  sought  a 
view  of  one  of  the  bills,  which  is  in  these  words  : 

"  AWFUL  ! ! ! 

"  The  public  are  hereby  notified  that  four  <  choice  spir 
its  '  are  this  afternoon,  at  3  o'clock,  to  be  marshaled  for 
execution  by  the  hangman,  on  Gallows  Hill,  in  conse 
quence  of  the  sentence  pronounced  against  them  by  the 
unanimous  voice  of  every  honest  man  in  the  community. 
The  respective  crimes  for  which  they  suffer  are  thus 
stated  on  the  record :  first,  Chief  Justice  M.  for  a  repeti 
tion  of  his  X.  Y.  Z.  tricks,  which  are  said  to  be  much 
aggravated  by  his  felonins  capers  in  open  Court,  on  the 
plea  of  irrelevancy  ;  secondly,  His  Quid  Majesty,  charged 
with  the  trifling  fault  of  wishing  to  divide  the  Union, 

and  farm  Baron  Bastrop's  grant ;  thirdly,  B ,  the 

chemist,  convicted  of  conspiring  to  destroy  the  tone  of 
the  public  Fiddle  ;  fourthly,  and  lastly,  but  not  least, 
Lawyer  Brandy-Bottle,  for  a  false,  scandalous,  malicious 
Prophecy,  that,  before  six  months,  *  Aaron  Burr  would 
divide  the  Union.'  N".  B.  The  execution  of  accomplices 
is  postponed  to  a  future  day." 

My  first  inquiries  of  the  few  acquaintances  I  met  in  the 
streets,  who  now  know  me,  were  directed  by  a  desire  to 


478  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

acquire  some  estimate  of  what  we  might  expect  in  the 
evening ;  but  I  obtained  little  satisfaction.  I  then  thought 
Burr  might  be  best  informed,  as  his  vigilance  I  had  be 
fore  proved  to  be  lively  at  all  times,  was  most  sharp  on 
the  approach  of  danger.  I  know  not  whether  Tyler  had 
smelt  out  what  was  brewing  before  I  had  heard  any  thing 
about  it,  but  found,  on  my  return  from  the  seminary,  be 
fore  I  had  heard  the  news,  he  had  fled  rather  precipi 
tately  ;  for  he  had  declared  to  me,  not  two  hours  before  I 
last  went  to  seek  him,  that  he  should  not  go  away  until 
to-morrow.  I  therefore  bent  my  course  straight  to  Burr, 
at  his  shabby  quarters,  in  Gay  Street,  where  I  waited  full 
fifteen  minutes  before  I  could  see  him.  I  afterward  found 
he  was  packing  up  his  things  to  escape  in  the  mail,  which 
was  to  leave  in  ten  minutes.  He  labored  hard  within,  I 
could  plainly  see,  to  exhibit  that  composure  of  manner,  to 
which  he  has  devoted  so  much  of  his  life,  to  form  his 
exterior  by.  He  would  not  wait  to  write  the  superscrip 
tion  of  a  letter,  which  he  requested  me  to  direct  for  him 
to  David  M.  Randolph.  I  bid  him  adieu,  with  an  assur 
ance  that  I  would  follow  him  to-morrow,  and  he  said  I 

should  find  him  at  G ,  in  Philadelphia.   On  my  return 

to  Evans's,  I  found  Martin,  Luckett  and  Commins  in  my 
bed-room.  Martin  defied  the  menaces  of  the  mob,  but 
he  assured  me  he  had  just  left  the  mayor,  who  had  prom 
ised  him  to  make  all  necessary  arrangements  to  secure 
the  peace  of  the  city,  and  protect  every  one  from  per 
sonal  injury. 

Luckett  having  come  by  a  different  way  from  that  I 
took,  though  I  was  walking  the  streets  in  every  direction 
all  the  morning,  told  me  Burr  and  Swartwout  had  been 


KIND    TREATMENT.  479 

/ 

escorted  by  a  guard  sent  them  by  the  mayor,  from  their 
lodgings  to  the  stage-office,  from  whence  he  had  seen 
them  start,  under  the  good  wishes  of  many  spectators. 
Commins  denounced  the  Government  and  it's  rabble,  and 
said,  it  was  impossible  any  thing  should-  be  attempted 
against  us ;  but  I  thought  otherwise.  I  deliberated  a  lit 
tle  on  the  various  reports  I  had  heard,  however  different 
in  particulars,  yet  all  agreeing  that  Martin  and  myself 
should  at  least  receive  an  addition  to  our  wardrobe,  of  a 
suit  of  tar  and  feathers.  I  thought  it  would  not  be  im 
proper  to  leave  town,  or  at  least  change  my  lodgings 
forthwith.  But  I  soon  reflected,  how  naturally  Burr 
might  expect  to  receive  unwelcome  obloquy  for  his  flight, 
and  I  at  once  determined  to  keep  my  ground.  At  din 
ner,  therefore,  I  took  my  seat,  amidst  a  very  large  com 
pany,  at  the  long  table,  and  remained  there  conversing  a 
long  time  with  a  Frenchman,  who  sat  next  me,  at  least 
half  an  hour  after  3  o'clock,  the  time  designated  in  the 
hand-bills  for  the  spectacle  that  was  to  take  place  in  the 
evening.  I  should  have  sat,  I  know  not  how  much 
longer,  had  not  Steward,  who  manages  the  house,  brought 
a  man  up  to  me,  who  inquired  my  name.  On  giving  it 
to  him,  he  said  he  belonged  to  the  police  of  the  city,  and 
had  been  sent,  with  several  others  of  that  body,  to  watch, 
and  give  notice  of  any  attempt  upon  the  public  peace,  or 
on  the  persons  of  individuals.  "That  the  mayor  had 
particularly  mentioned  me  to  him  by  name,"  which  I  be 
lieved,  as  he  said  Mr.  Thoroughgood  Smith  observed  to 
him,  "  he  had  formerly  known  me  and  my  lady  here."  I 
took  this  man  out ;  his  name  is  Goldsmith.  I  then 
ordered  liquor  for  him  and  his  companions  in  another 


480  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

room,  where  I.  thanked  them  for  the  service  they,  in  the 
way  of  their  duty,  were  come  to  render  me.  They 
informed  nte,  two  troops  of  horse  were  ordered  out, 
and  I  had  nothing  to  fear.  The  time  passed  away  in 
conversation  with  these  men,  about  twelve  in  number, 
until  near  5  o'clock,  when  I  sent  Goldsmith  to  request 
Martin  to  come  to  me,  as  I  wished  to  share  his  fate,  hav 
ing  understood  from  them  that  I  ought  not  to  go  out 
of  the  house,  which  I  interpreted  into  something  like 
a  wish  on  the  part  of  the  mayor.  Soon  after  I  returned 
to  my  room  to  write,  Goldsmith  came  to  me  with  intel 
ligence  that  Martin  could  not  be  seen  at  his  house  ;  that 
his  students  and  some  friends  were  armed,  and  well 
prepared  to  repel  an  expected  assault  on  the  house ;  "  but 
that  the  people  were  in  motion  in  great  force,  had  every 
thing  prepared  for  tarring  and  feathering,"  and  would, 
he  believed,  if  disappointed  or  opposed,  tear  Martin  and 
myself  to  pieces.  He  then  begged  of  me  not  to  leave  the 
room  I  was  in,  adding,  "  that  his  companions  would 
drown  him,  if  they  could,  in  a  basin  of  water,  for  his 
attention  to  me,  though  he  was  as  good  a  Republican  as 
any  of  them."  I  now  suspected  this  man  might  possibly 
direct  the  drunken  desperadoes  of  an  enraged  multitude 
to  my  apartment.  I  therefore  determined  to  change  it 
for  another  the  moment  he  left  me.  In  a  few  minutes, 
Steward  came  up  stairs,  and  told  me  to  go  into  the  gar 
ret,  which  I  soon  did,  under  an  apprehension  that  I  was 
betrayed  or  sought  after.  In  the  garret,  I  observed  two 
trap-doors  opening  through  the  roof  of  the  house,  on 
which  I  resolved  to  take  my  station,  from  whence  I 
might  contemplate  at  my  leisure,  if  I  could  not  distinctly 


THE    MOB.  481 

see  the  scenes  that  might  shortly  pass  in  the  streets 
below.  Both  the  trap-doors  were  open.  I  shut  down 
one  of  them,  and  intended  to  cut  off  my  return  into  the 
nouse  by  shutting  the  other,  should  it  become  necessary* 
But  an  uproar  soon  rose  to  my  ears  from  below,  and 
from  one  of  the  garret  windows  I  saw  the  mob  pass  by 
the  house,  to  the  amount  of  about  fifteen  hundred,  as 
well  as  I  could  estimate,  in  full  huzza,  with  fife  and  drum 
playing  the  "  Rogue's  march."  I  have  since  learned,  they 
drew  along  with  them,  in  two  carts,  the  representatives, 
habited  for  execution,  of  the  Chief  Justice,  Burr,  Martin 
and  myself.  They  passed  on  to  Martin's  house,  in 
Charles-street,  where  they  broke  some  of  his  windows, 
and  performed  some  other  feats,  of  which  I  have  not  yet 
learned  the  particulars.  In  the  mean  time,  two  troops  of 
cavalry  patrolled  the  streets,  not  to  disperse  the  mob,  but 
to  follow  and  behold  their  conduct.  They,  the  mob, 
made  as  much  noise  as  if  they  were  about  to  destroy  the 
city,  and  returned  about  7  o'clock  to  the  point  from 
whence  they  came,  headed,  I  hear,  by  one  Patterson,  who 
lives  there ;  while  the  cavalry  have,  I  suppose,  been  long 
since  dismissed,  in  full  confidence  in  the  honor  of  the 
mobility.  I  have  been  down  stairs  to  supper  at  the  long 
table.  It  is  now  near  10  o'clock,  and  I  have  not  these 
two  hours  heard  any  more  of  either  of  them.  How  far 
the  respectable  part  of  the  city  will  think  it  worth  their 
while  to  show  they  had  no  participation  in  this  frolic, 
which,  I  am  informed,  was  chiefly  made  up  at  the  "  point," 
we  shall  hereafter  learn.  I  believe  it  altogether  orig 
inated  with  the  Democratic  printers  here,  who  are  but 

little  controlled  by  one  spiritless  Federal  paper,  which  is 
31 


482  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

all  there  is  at  present  on  that  side ;  while  there  are  three 
or  more  Federal  prints  supported  in  Philadelphia,  where 
I  have  no  expectation  of  receiving  similar  public  honors 
to  those  conferred  upon  me  here.  Wrote  to  Natchez,  to 
counteract,  by  anticipation,  the  alarms  my  friends  there 
might  take  up  for  my  safety,  from  the  rapid  circulation 
of  rumors,  etc. 

WEDNESDAY,  NOVEMBER  4,  1807. 

Went  early  this  morning  to  Martin's,  where  I  saw  Mr. 
Ray,  a  warm  friend  to  him,  who  had  taken,  last  night, 
the  direction  of  the  gentlemen  who  had  volunteered  to 
defend  the  house.  Martin  and  his  property,  I  found,  were 
untouched  last  night,  the  mob  having  contented  them 
selves  with  menaces  and  abuse,  offering  a  defiance  to  the 
party  within  and  the  cavalry  without,  from  whence  I 
conclude  that  the  mayor  was  intimidated  by  them  and  a 
large  majority  of  the  two  troops  of  horse,  well  disposed 
to  their  views  or  their  leaders ;  namely,  one  Biayo,  and 
others  from  the  "  point."  Martin  did  not  appear  to  his 
friends  until  this  morning.  I  took  leave  of  him  on  my 
way  to  the  packet,  by  which  I  set  out  for  Philadelphia, 
where  I  arrived,  with  no  occurrence  during  the  journey, 
on  Thursday,  5th  of  November,  at  3  o'clock,  P.  M.  Put 
up  at  the  Mansion  House,  late  Bingham's,  kept  by  an 
Englishman,  in  the  best  style  I  ever  saw  in  America. 
Dined,  dressed,  and  visited  Burr  and  my  worthy  friends, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jos.  Lewis.  Burr  pretended  he  should 
have  waited,  if  he  had  not  believed  every  thing  at  Balti 
more  would  have  ended  with  the  hand-bills.  He  was 
very  glad  to  hear  of  Martin's  having  so  well  escaped,  and 


IN   PHILADELPHIA.  483 

said  lie  would  give  Bollman,  who  boarded  where  I  did,  a 
letter  of  introduction  to  me.  I  observed  to  him,  that 
probably  Dr.  Bollman  did  not  wish  my  acquaintance,  as 
he  had  never  called  upon  me  in  Richmond.  Burr  tried 
to  excuse  this,  but  failed.  He  is  trying  to  live  here 
incog.,  but  every  one  knows  he  is  in  town.  I  supped 
with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lewis,  en  famiUe,  where  my  friendly 
reception,  kind  inquiries,  and  the  interesting  conversa 
tion  of  my  amiable  friends,  agreeably  detained  me  until 
midnight,  when  I  took  leave,  with  a  promise  to  dine 
with  them  to-morrow. 

FRIDAY,  NOVEMBER  6,  1807. 

Spent  the  morning  chiefly  in  examining  the  newspapers 

and  visits  to  the  Lewises,  Conrad,  C h  and  Turnbull's 

families,  as  my  friend  Joe  Lewis's  dinner-hour  is  2  o'clock. 
Before  I  went  there,  I  had  a  call  from  R.  Lewis,  to  bring 
me  a  letter  from  Walton,  of  no  importance,  and  engage 
me  to  dinner  with  him  to-morrow.  Passed  the  evening 
sociably,  tete-a-t£te,  with  Joe  L. ;  during  which  I  was 
chiefly  occupied  in  conversation  with  him  on  the  subject 
of  Burr's  trials  and  adventures,  and  also  that  of  my  pres 
ent  financial  derangements.  About  7,  P.  M.,  we  were 
called  into  the  street  by  an  alarm  of  fire,  which  turned 
out  to  be  groundless ;  and  I  saw  him  back  to  his  house, 
where  I  then  left  him,  to  return  to  my  lodgings,  as  I  had 
a  severe  headache.  Before  I  went  to  bed,  I  observed  that 
the  "  American,"  a  Democratic  paper  of  Baltimore,  con 
tained  an  invidious  paragraph  approving  of  the  insults 
offered  to  us  there  last  Tuesday  evening.  Bollman  has  left 
his  card  with  me,  with  a  letter  of  introduction  from  Burr. 


484  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

SATURDAY,  NOVEMBER  7,  1807. 

At  breakfast,  this  morning,  Bollman  presented  himself 
to  me  upon  his  credentials,  and  I  received  him  into  my  ac 
quaintance  with  all  the  ease  of  courtly  etiquette  I  am  mas 
ter  of.  I  invited  him  to  take  a  seat  by  me,  and  entered 
into  conversation  with  him  on  general  topics,  which  was 
sustained  for  half  an  hour,  and  succeeded  by  his  obliging 
me  with  his  view  of  the  Mississippi  country,  and  particu 
larly  the  environs  of  New  Orleans,  for  which  he  enter 
tained  a  decided  preference  to  any  other  quarter,  and  pro 
jects,  probably  without  the  command  of  a  dollar,  nothing 
less  than  the  purchase  of  an  estate,  at  $60,000,  within  five 
miles  of  that  city.  Daniel  Clark  has  assured  him  it  is  a 
great  bargain,  as  it  will  yield  a  revenue  of  $15,000  a  year 
by  adding  a  few  slaves  to  those  already  on  it ;  and  Boll 
man  only  wants  a  friend  or  two  to  join  with  $10,000  each, 
and  he  can  effect  the  rest.  I  have  little  doubt  Bollman 
has  conceived  I  may  be  of  use  to  him  in  this  affair ;  but 
I  am  certain  he  can  not  serve  me  in  it.  Mrs.  David  Ran 
dolph  had  no  small  trial  of  her  skill  in  detecting  this 
man's  character,  if  her  judgment  has  not  erred  in  the 
attempt;  for  his  countenance,  manner  and  address  possess 
every  qualification  to  engage  the  warmest  interest  in  his 
favor  as  a  scholar,  a  gentleman,  or  perhaps  a  gallant.  Yet 
he  has  formerly  failed  in  this  town  as  a  merchant,  rather 
through  his  excesses  in  speculation  and  intrigue  than  from 
any  natural  inaptitude  to  that  sort  of  life.  And  his  late 
wife's  family  discovered  enough  in  him  to  determine  them 
to  oppose  his  connection  with  the  N.  family  as  far  as  was 
possible.  But  I  will,  at  present  let  him  rest.  I  dined 


HEALTH    RESTORED.  485 

and  spent  the  early  part  of  the  evening  with  R.  Lewis,  in 
the  same  way  I  did  yesterday  with  his  brother,  that  is, 
in  the  enjoyment  of  good  wines  and  friendly  conversation. 
I  must,  however,  partake  of  no  more  of  these  early  din 
ners,  as  the  long  sittings  that  succeed  them  leave  no  time, 
these  short  days,  to  transact  whatever  business  may  yet 
detain  me  here.  Duane  has  announced  the  arrival  of 
Admiral  Blennerhassett,  at  the  Mansion  House,  and  re- 
published,  from  the  "  Baltimore  Whig,"  its  invitation  to 
invest  us  with  a  suit  of  "  Yankee  ermine,"  as  well  as  the 
process-verbal  of  the  mobility  of  that  city.  But  I  shall 
visit  this  apostle  of  Democracy  on  Monday. 

SUNDAY,  NOVEMBER  8,  1807. 

Visited,  this  morning,  by  Tom.  Butler,  who  made  me 
very  happy,  by  learning  from  him  my  beloved  wife  had 
quite  recovered  from  her  fever,  and  she  and  the  boys  were 
well  after  the  middle  of  last  September,  when  he  saw  them. 
While  I  was  attending  the  service  at  the  Roman  Catholic 
chapel  in  Fourth  Street,  I  had  the  honor  of  morning  vis 
its  from  sundry  great  personages,  who  left  their  cards  for 
me ;  namely,  Burr,  Bollman  and  George  Pollock,  reputed 
to  be  very  rich,  whose  education,  I  have  heard,  Burr  has 
had  some  concern  with,  and  at  whose  house  here  he  has 
taken  up  his  quarters.  After  my  return  from  Mass,  I  was 
visited  by  a  Mr.  Reckless,  of  New  Jersey,  who  seems  a 
warm  partisan  of  Burr,  and  is  engaged  in  endeavoring  to 
do  away  an  indictment,  pending  in  that  State  against 
Burr,  for  the  killing  of  General  Hamilton.  Upon  the  re 
moval  of  this  impediment,  I  find  Burr  means  to  try  the 
effect  of  requisitions  upon  a  considerable  party  he  consid- 


486  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

ers  attached  to  him  in  that  quarter.  Mr.  R.  treated  me  with 
much  consideration,  and  said,  "  while  I  was  abroad,  some 
members  of  the  Jersey  Legislature  had  come  with  him  to 
wait  upon  me."  I  find,  indeed,  the  greater  part  of  the 
numerous  strangers  who  frequent  the  Mansion  House  re 
gard  me  with  no  common  attention.  I  form  acquaintances 
among  them  without  previous  introductions ;  but  this  is 
more  to  be  attributed  to  the  sinking  of  Democracy  here 
into  the  coalition  of  the  Federals  and  Quids,  which  has 
nearly  annihilated  the  faction  of  Duane,  than  to  any 
claim  I  could  have  upon  public  favor  from  the  merit  of 
my  acts  or  the  singularity  of  my  fortune.  I  have,  among 
others,  met  here  with  a  Mr.  B.,  from  Charleston,  South 
Carolina,  who  has  traveled  much,  and  has  embellished 
good  talents  with  much  accomplishments. 

MONDAY,  NOVEMBER  9,  1807. 

Conversed  for  half  an  hour,  after  breakfast,  with  Boll- 
man,  chiefly  upon  medical  and  physiological  subjects,  in 
which  I  was  much  pleased  with  some  novelty  of  fancy 
recommended  by  that  suavity  of  manner  and  easy  address 
which  endanger  the  judgment  of  those  who  listen  to  him. 
I  had  invitations  from  Pollock  and  Joe  Lewis  for  din 
ner  to-morrow.  Dined  with  Turnbull,  spent  part  of  the 
evening  with  Tom.  Butler,  and  supped  with  Joe  Lewis  en 
famille,  where  I  sat  until  midnight. 

TUESDAY,  NOVEMBER  10,  1807. 

Soon  after  breakfast,  visited  Burr  and  Pollock.  Burr 
has  again  opened  an  audience-chamber,  which  is  much 
occupied.  Although  I  found  two  or  three  friends  with 


SUDDEN   FLIGHT.  487 

him  at  breakfast,  he  was  called  out  the  moment  he  had 
finished,  and  was  absent  about  an  hour  and  three-quar 
ters,  during  which  interval  Mr.  Pollock  gave  me  his 
company.  I  find  him  a  very  well-bred  man,  who  has  had 
advantages  in  Europe.  He  spoke  less  of  Mrs.  Alston  than 
I  expected,  and  has  never  seen  her  husband,  whose  vari 
ous  talents,  however,  he  does  not  the  less  correctly  esti 
mate.  "With  respect  to  Burr,  whatever  may  have  been 
the  ground  of  his  present  intimacy  with  Mr.  P.,  I  can  ven 
ture  to  affirm,  it  has  already  been  abused  on  the  part  of 
the  former,  although  the  latter,  as  yet,  is  evidently  un 
aware  of  it.  Pollock  withdrew,  and  I  entered  upon  the 
objects  of  my  visit.  After  informing  Burr  that  Martin  was 
resolved  to  appear  for  us  at  Chillicothe,  he  seemed  all  sur 
prise  ;  and  nothing  could  be  more  natural  than  the  colli 
sion  of  such  generosity  with  his  own  ingratitude ;  for  he 
fled  from  Baltimore,  without  waiting  even  to  thank  his 
friend  for  the  long  and  various  services  he  had  rendered 
him.  Further,  he  had  not  written  to  him  from  hence. 
On  recovering  from  this  new  charge  of  Martin's  benevo 
lence  upon  his  feelings,  he  exclaimed,  "  What  a  man ! " 
but  told  me  I  must  write  to  him  not  to  think  of  the  jour 
ney  till  he  should  hear  from  him ;  that  I  should  direct 
him,  in  the.  mean  time,  to  write  to  Burnet  and  Michael 
Baldwin,  the  late  Marshal  of  Ohio,  to  retain  both  (no 
doubt,  with  Martin's  advance  of  their  fees),  and  that  he 
still  had  no  thoughts  of  going  to  Ohio,  though  he  had 
given  notice  to  Scott,  the  Virginia  Marshal,  to  be  prepared 
with  a  guard  of  gentlemen,  by  the  tenth  of  December,  at 
Richmond,  to  conduct  him  from  thence  to  Chillicothe. 
He  added,  "  that  Martin's  too  great  zeal  and  indiscretion 


488  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

would  do  us  great  mischief  in  Ohio,  and  the  skill  of  Bur- 
net,  with  the  influence  of  Baldwin,  who  was  popular  with 
the  blackguards,  and  exasperated  against  the  Administra 
tion  since  the  loss  of  his  office,  were  the  best  means  to 
frustrate  the  efforts  of  Government  to  have  bills  found 
against  us,  which  they  would  exert  themselves  to  effect, 
to  divert  his,  Martin's,  attention  from  other  objects."  He 
now  again  assured  me  he  would  be  glad  I  could  extri- 
cat^  myself  from  the  Government  upon  any  terms  agree 
able  to  my  own  feelings,  and  fully  approved  of  my  effect 
ing  that  object  through  Duane,  in  any  way  my  judgment 
might  suggest.  This  business  being  thus  dispatched,  I 
next  solicited  him  on  the  subject  of  his  finances,  on  which 
indeed  he  had  partly  anticipated  me,  by  inquiring,  "  what 
were  my  prospects  through  my  friends,  the  Lewises?" 
I  informed  him  I  had  no  expectations  from  that  quarter, 
and  should  absolutely  starve,  while  I  was  possessed  of 
such  splendid  hopes  in  Europe,  if  I  was  not  relieved  in 
the  mean  time.  He  regretted  much  the  absence  from 
town  of  two  persons  with  whom  he  expected  to  do  some 
thing  ;  but  he  had,  he  said,  negotiations  on  foot,  the  suc 
cess  of  which  he  could  not  answer  for,  but  should  know 
in  two  or  three  days.  I  now  represented  to  him  the 
probable  necessity  I  could  not  resist,  of  urging  Alston, 
but  hoped  such  a  measure  would  not  be  displeasing  to 
him  or  to  Mrs.  Alston,  Upon  this  suggestion,  he  was 
less  reserved  than  he  had  been  with  me  at  Richmond, 
before  he  was  acquainted  with  my  pecuniary  views  and 
my  means  of  advancing  him  in  Europe,  and  freely  de 
clared  neither  Mrs.  Alston  nor  himself  would  be  dis 
pleased  with  any  steps  I  might  take  against  Alston,  who 


STILL    CRAVING.  489 

had  treated  him  in  a  manner  I  could  well  enough  judge  of, 
to  save  him  the  mortification  of  expressing  his  opinion  of 
it.  He  even  assured  rne  he  had  demanded  from  Alston 
an  explanation  of  his  conduct  in  addressing  the  letter  to 
Pinckney,  immediately  on  his  arrival  in  custody  at  Rich 
mond,  observing,  "  that  no  humiliation  of  his  condition 
could  make  him  forget  what  he  owed  to  his  own  dig 
nity  ; "  that  Alston  had  shown  much  contrition,  and 
made  every  possible  concession,  including  an  offer  of 
a  public  reconciliation  in  print ;  but  Burr  said  he  thought 
it  would  be  prudent  to  spare  him  this  extreme  of  humili 
ation,  I  suppose,  for  his  daughter's  sake.  By  the  by,  it 
is  remarkable  that  many  persons  of  penetration  and  in 
telligence,  who  have  indulged  an  eager  interest  in  investi 
gating  every  thing  during  the  last  year  relating  to  Burr, 
within  the  reach  of  their  inquiries,  should  have  preter- 
mitted  that  irredeemable  passage  of  Alston's  letter,  im 
puting  to  Burr  a  design  to  bereave  his  infant  grandson 
of  his  patrimony.  Before  Burr  returned  from  the  audi 
ence  chamber,  I  found  Mr.  Pollock  had  made  a  like  omis 
sion  ;  and,  upon  my  acquainting  him  with  the  circum 
stance,  he  expressed  his  feelings  suitably  of  the  con 
founded  folly  and  turpitude  of  the  writer,  who  had  long 
before  repeated  to  me  assurances  he  had  given  his  father- 
in-law,  that  his  property  was  worth  one  hundred  thou 
sand  guineas,  and  he  would,  if  necessary,  embark  the 
whole  of  it  in  the  furtherance  of  Col.  Burr's  plans.  I 
did  not  leave  Burr  until  he  had  again  reminded  me  of  his 
hopes  of  my  forwarding  his  views  in  England  ;  to  which 
I  answered,  "  I  could  only  lend  my  endeavors  to  serve 
him  by  the  letters  I  had  already  offered  him."  He  said, 


490  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

it  was  to  those  only  he  alluded ;  so  the  baits  I  have 
thrown  out  to  him  do  not  yet  glitter  in  vain,  which  further, 
appeared,  by  his  observing  to  the  party  present,  when 
first  I  called  upon  him,  "  that  he  supposed  I  had  not  yet 
taken  the  trouble  to  find  out  whether  a  certain  man  was 
dead  or  alive,  upon  whose  death  I  should  be  entitled  to  a 
fortune  worth,  at  least,  one  hundred  thousand  guineas," 
adding,  "  I  had  a  strange  fund  of  indifference  to  objects 
few  other  men  could  resist."  This  was  truly  well  thrown 
out  for  Pollock,  etc.  But  I  was  not  a  little  amused  to 
observe  he  had  been  calculating  how  many  years'  pur 
chase  my  expected  estates  of  £6,000  a  year  would  sell 
for ;  so  that  while  this  bait  glitters  he  will  not  lightly 
break  from  me.  Dined  and  spent  the  evening  with  a  set 
party  at  Joe  Lewis's.  I  have  found  it  due  to  so  worthy 
a  friend,  to  offer  him  a  perusal  of  these  notes,  as  I  hope 
they  will  more  fully  develop  to  him  my  character  and 
necessities  than  he  could  otherwise  become  acquainted 
with  either;  and  I  took  to  his  aid -and  counsel,  rather 
than  to  any  other  present  means,  to  lighten  the  actual 
burdens  that  bear  so  heavily  upon  my  family.  He  has 
perused  the  first  volume  with  so  much  interest  and  satis 
faction  that  he  has  given  it  a  second  reading.  This  alone 
would  be  an  ample  compensation  for  the  little  labor  I 
have  spent  upon  it.  I  feel  I  have  penned  many  reflec 
tions,  and  passed  many  characters  with  my  own,  in  review, 
in  a  light  which  should  be  admitted  to  few  eyes  besides 
those  of  my  wife.  But  I  fully  rely  upon  the  safe  keeping 
of  the  confidence  I  have  ventured  with  my  friend,  who 
will  therefore  be  enabled  to  take  a  better  view  of  my  suf 
ferings  and  necessities.  I  have  lost  some  time  in  visiting 


OCCUPATIONS.  491 

Duane,  which  1  shall  not  effect  before  Thursday.  There 
are  two  excellent  papers  here  lately  set  up  against  him; 
namely,  the  "Spirit  of  the  Press"  and  the  "Tickler," 
which  would  he  perfect,  if  they  were  not  too  local. 

WEDNESDAY,  NOVEMBER  11,  1807. 

Soon  after  breakfast,  I  was  called,  by  note,  to  Lewis's 
counting-house,  to  meet  Bartlett,  the  partner  of  Tom 
Hart,  of  Lexington,  who  kept  me  waiting  there  for  him 
the  best  part  of  the  morning ;  but,  at  last,  arrived,  and 
paid  me  $832,  being  so  much  saved  out  of  my  losses  by 
Hart,  in  1805.  Dined  with  a  formal  party  at  my  friend 
R.  Lewis's,  where  I  sat  with  a  pleasant  set,  after  dinner, 
until  11  o'clock,  and  received  an  invitation  to  dinner  from 
Mr.  Tightman,  an  amiable  and  convivial  young  merchant 
of  this  city,  and  son  of  the  Judge  of  that  name.  Reeve 
let  freely  loose  the  flow  of  soul  and  of  wTine.  He  is  an 
excellent  mimic,  and  a  truly  comic  character,  and  might, 
if  he  had  not  a  far  better  calling,  excel  upon  the  stage. 

THURSDAY,  NOVEMBER  12,  1807. 

Occupied  this  morning,  chiefly,  by  reading  the  papers, 
particularly  a  London  Courier,  containing  an  excellent 
speech  of  Sheridan's,  or  rather  only  a  skeleton  of  it,  on 
Irish  affairs.  This  paper  Mr.  Bee  was  kind  enough  to 
procure  for  me,  without  solicitation  on  my  part.  Until 
dinner  time,  I  passed  the  remainder  of  the  morning  in 
walking  and  buying  a  few  articles  for  my  wife.  Burr 
has  taken  an  excursion  of  about  twenty  miles  up  the 
Delaware,  to  return,  I  expect;  on  Saturday,  when  I  pro 
pose,  in  the  event  of  his  being  still  out  of  cash,  to  make 


492        ,    THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

my  last  demand  upon  him  so  long  projected ;  namely,  a 
requisition  to  him  to  procure  security,  to  which  my  family 
can  resort,  in  this  country,  for  my  claims  upon  him,  to 
the  amount  of  about  $9,000,  made  up  by  my  account 
already  presented  to  him,  and  the  debt  and  charges  aris 
ing  from  Miller's  demand.  The  mercantile  folks  are 
much  alarmed  with  the  news  of  to-day,  threatening  a 
speedy  war  with  Britain.  And  I  have  heard  it  said,  that 
shares  in  some  of  the  Insurance  Stocks  have  fallen  to-day 
ten  per  cent.  But  I  observe  the  successful  energies  of 
my  native  country  against  Copenhagen  have  a  petrifying 
effect  upon  the  Democrats,  while  nineteen-twentieths  of 
the  merchants,  who  are  Federalists,  awfully  contemplate 
the  approaching  crisis  with  England.  This  evening,  I 
received  a  novel  remedy  for  a  sharp  toothache,  with 
which  I  was  affected.  It  was  grounded  on  a  principle, 
that  great  mental  engagement  and  exertion  would  operate 
a  diversion  of  inordinate  action  expended  upon  a  small 
diseased  portion  of  the  body.  I  attempted  to  put  this 
fancy  to  the  test,  by  effecting  my  too  long-neglected  in 
terview  with  Duane.  After  tea,  I  set  out  upon  this 
adventure,  and  arrived  at  his  dwelling  in  much  pain, 
about  8,  P.  M.  I  think  it  deserves  notice  that  I  should 
mention,  because  my  feelings  were  singularly  affected  by 
the  preparation  I  found  I  had  to  undergo,  to  obtain  not 
only  an  audience  of  this  high  priest  of  Jacobinism,  but 
even  admission  within  the  walls  that  contained  his  Holi 
ness.  I  had  pulled  the  bell  three  times,  without  produc 
ing  the  common  effect  of  bringing  any  one  to  the  door 
from  within,  and  was  in  the  act  of  applying  my  hand  to 
a  fourth  experiment,  when  a  man  answered  from  with- 


IRISH    WELCOME  !  493 

out,  an  Irishman.  He  inquired  my  name,  in  a  full  Cork 
accent,  but  very  low  voice,  and  on  hearing  it,  said  Mr. 
Duane  was  not  at  home,  but  if  I  would  leave  my  name 
and  business  he  would  mention  it  to  him.  I  said,  I 
should  suppose  my  name  was  now  become  familiar 
enough  with  every  one  in  the  employment  of  Mr.  Duane 
to  render  my  leaving  it  in  writing  unnecessary.  The 
printer's  devil  replied,  "  to  be  sure,  every  one  knew  Mr. 
Hassett,  and  Mr.  Duane  would  be  glad  to  see  him." 
While  this  conversation  was  passing,  Duane,  who  had 
been  listening  in  the  alley  adjoining  the  house,  came  for 
ward  without  his  hat ;  for  he  had  passed  from  the  rear 
of  the  house  into  the  alley,  to  spy  secretly  the  chances  of 
safety,  as  he  could  ascertain  them  by  observing  what  he 
could  see  or  hear,  between  his  scout  and  me.  The  Colonel 
has  been  further  seasoned  to  the  service  of  his  party,  of 
which  he  now  begins  to  feel  a  little  tired,  by  two  drub 
bings,  since  his  return  from  Richmond ;  and  as  he  rises 
in  military  rank,  and  suffers  in  service,  he  grows  more 
wary  in  caution,  and  has  learned  from  experience  the 
folly  of  exposing  his  person  by  night,  without  full  assur 
ance  of  the  peaceful  intentions  of  his  visitor.  All  scru 
ples  of  this  sort  being  removed  upon  the  present  occasion, 
I  apologized  for  the  unusual  hour  I  had  fallen  upon  for 
my  visit,  which  had  seemingly  broken  in  upon  the  Col 
onel  while  he  was  engaged  with  business  or  company,  as 
he  had  been  denied  to  me,  though  I  was  fortunate  enough 
to  find  him  at  home.  To  this  I  received  some  blundering 
answer;  the  scout  withdrew,  and  I  was  invited  into  the 
house,  where  I  was  introduced  to  Mrs.  Duane. 

In  a  few  minutes  I  signified  a  desire  to  speak  with  the 


494  THE    BLEXNERIIASSETT    PAPERS. 

Colonel  in  private.     Upon  this  suggestion  he  took  up  a 
candle,  and  I  followed  him  up  stairs.     I  opened  the  inter 
view  by  informing  him  that  I  could  not  leave  town  with 
out  calling  to  thank  him  for  the  visit  and  friendly  offers 
I  had  received  from  him  during  my  imprisonment  in 
Richmond ;  that  I  felt  disposed  to  regard  his  motives  to 
that  visit  as  distinct  from  considerations  of  party  or  poli 
tics,  the  mere  dictates  of  national  feelings,  and  the  natu 
ral  impulse  of  an  Irishman  to  serve  a  suffering  country 
man  in  distress ;  that,  besides  this  motive  to  my  visit,  I 
felt  much  curiosity,  and  some  personal  interest,  to  learn 
how  far  he  approved  of  the  determination  of  Government 
to  pursue  me  with  further  and  indefinite  prosecutions, 
which  could  add  nothing  in  their  result  to  the  public 
interest  or  the  credit  of  the  Administration,  however  they 
might  diminish  or  ruin  my  fortune ;    that,  although  it 
might  be  deemed  politic  to  keep  Col.  Burr  busy  by  such 
vexations,  Government  could  apprehend   nothing  from 
me,  and  at  all  events  I  was  sure  he  could  not  approve  of 
the  vindictive  spirit  that  had  even  refused  to  dispense 
with  my  personal  appearance  at  Chillicothe,  next  Janu 
ary,  when  Government  can  not  be  prepared  to  go  to  trial, 
much  less  shall  I ;  then,  reminding  him  of  the  offers  he 
had  made  me  at  Richmond,  I  said,  my  situation  at  present 
was  very  different,  as  it  regarded  my  connection  with 
Col.  Burr,  from  what  it  was  at  that  time ;  for  I,  now  re 
garded  myself  as  cleared  from  all  charges  that  the  Gov 
ernment  had  failed  to  establish  against  me,  and  no  longer 
felt  it  incumbent  upon  me  to  undergo  endless  prosecu 
tions  to  vindicate  whatever  concern  I  had  in  Col.  Burr's 
speculations,  especially  as  he  probably  will  never  renew 


WITH    DUANE.|  495 

them ;  and  if  he  could,  I  should  have  no  further  concern 
in  them. 

I  had  no  need  to  sound  any  deeper  in  the  shallow  wa 
ters  of  my  research,  which  by  no  means  possess  that 
depth  that  is  commonly  supposed.  Burr  had  advised  me 
that  this  man  loved  wonderfully  to  hear  himself  talk, 
and  that  the  best  way  was  to  let  him  run  on  until  he 
was  out  of  breath,  and  afterward  take  him  back  to  those 
points  on  which  he  had  stumbled,  and  on  which  I  wished 
to  fasten  his  attention.  The  hint  was  serviceable,  and  I 
made  more  use  of  it  than  I  might  have  done  if  I  had  de 
pended  upon  the  reserve  Duane  affected  on  his  visit  to  me 
in  the  Penitentiary,  which  I  now  see  arose  from  a  dis 
covery  he  soon  made  on  that  occasion,  that  he  durst  not 
broach  the  unhallowed  purpose  for  which  he  then  visited 
me,  which  was  a  bargain  to  induce  me  to  betray  my  en 
gagements  or  connections ;  while,  on  the  present  occa 
sion,  he  considered  me  rather  as  a  politician  assailing  his 
interest  underhand,  than  a  suitor  soliciting  his  good 
offices.  I  concluded  my  observations  with  stating  that  I 
understood  Colonel  Burr  meant  again  to  surrender  him 
self  into  the  custody  of  the  Marshal  of  Virginia,  with 
intent  to  be  conveyed  from  Richmond,  about  the  tenth  of 
next  month,  to  Chillicothe,  at  the  public  expense,  and  if  I 
should  not  soon  discover  that  Government  would  decline 
further  proceedings  against  me,  I  should  immediately 
prepare  to  commence  the  expenditure  of  so  much  of  the 
public  money  as  the  law  would  allow  me  toward  the 
charges  of  my  defense,  which  had  not  hitherto  cost  the 
United  States  a  dollar.  But  I  wished  him  to  be  assured 
it  was  not  my  purpose  to  ask  any  favors  from  Govern- 


496  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

ment  at  any  time,  or  through  any  quarters  whatever,  my 
chief  object  in  making  him  this  present  visit  being  to 
learn,  as  far  as  I  could  through  him,  whether  the  Admin 
istration  still  preserved  a  spirit  of  hostility  to  me  person 
ally?  He  now  launched  out  into  abuse  of  Burr  and 
Marshall,  and  said,  the  Government  were  committed  with 
the  sentiments  of  the  majority  of  the  people,  who  would 
never  be  satisfied  without  our  conviction  on  such  full  evi 
dence  as  had  come  out,  particularly  that  of  Wilkinson, 
Dunbaugh  and  the  Hendersons ;  that  it  would  look  like 
persecution  of  Burr,  to  grant  me  any  forbearance,  and 
that  the  Chief  Justice  must  atone  for  his  conduct  to  the 
country.  Luther  Martin,  he  declared,  had  lately  done 
Burr  more  harm  than  his  enemies  could  have  wished  in 
the  public  sentiment,  by  his  silly  and  intemperate  publi 
cations.  Wilkinson,  he  acknowledged,  was  as  much  con 
cerned  in  Burr's  schemes  as  Burr  himself;  but  his  excul 
pation  was  not  only  due  to  him,  from  his  seasonable 
discovery  and  overthrow  of  the  plot,  but  his  country 
should  canonize  him  for  it,  and  the  Government  could 
never  sufficiently  requite  him.  He  declared  he,  Duane, 
had  a  regular  correspondence  with  Hay,  who,  he  would 
not  believe,  had  ever  censured  or  neglected  to  vindicate 
the  General.  I  expressed  my  surprise  at  his  entertaining 
such  sentiments  seriously,  however  he  might  advance 
them  in  his  paper ;  but  he  was  frank  enough  to  protest 
to  me  that  he  considered  Gallatin*  now  the  most  danger 
ous  man  in  the  country  ;  Randolph  was  mad;  Burr  might 
still  play  the  part  of  Coriolanus  or  Alcibiades  ;  but  Jeffer- 

*  Albert  Gallatin,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury. 


SEMPER    PARATUS  !  497 

son  and  Madison  were  the  only  men  on  whom  the  coun 
try  could  depend,  though  he  had  no  doubt  Monroe  would 
have  been  President,  had  it  not  been  for  the  interference 
of  Randolph,  which  had  ruined  his  prospects.  As  for  him 
self,  he  had  been  proposed  as  senator,  during  his  attend 
ance  at  Richmond,  without  his  knowledge,  which  was  the 
reason  he  had  lost  his  election.  Mr.  Erskine's  dispatches, 
which  had  been  used  as  a  trap  to  ensnare  him,  only  con 
tained  some  newspaper  S)  and  he  had  defeated  the  scheme 
by  forwarding  them  after  the  mail.  It  appears  plainly 
from  this  sketch,  that  we  have  authority  for  knowing  the 
present  party  in  power  are  divided  among  themselves ; 
that  the  Chief  of  the  nation  is  still  afraid  of  Burr,  which 
is  further  proved  by  his  own  indiscretion ;  for  Jefferson 
has  lately  said,  that  whenever  Burr  could  get  to  the 
Netherlands,  he  could  command  $400,000.  Yet  Duane 
continues  his  daily  attacks  upon  Burrism,  and  complains 
a  good  deal  of  Burr  being  in  town,  though  his  bothered 
runners  can  not  find  out  where  he  lives.  Before  I  left 
him,  he  affected  to  disapprove  of  the  late  rising  in  Balti 
more,  no  doubt,  because  he  can't  excite  the  good  people 
of  this  town  to  another  here.  He  seemed  surprised  to 
learn  I  had  the  hardihood  to  dine  and  sup  in  public,  on 
the  day  my  eflagy  was  executed ;  and  when  I  told  him  I 
was  always  provided  with  a  brace  of  pistols,  he  twirled 
on  his  seat.  Having  given  him  this  impression  for  the 
benefit  of  himself  and  his  friends,  I  left  him,  in  perfect 
freedom  from  my  toothache.  I  returned  to  the  Mansion 
House,  where  I  passed  the  remainder  of  the  evening  in 

miscellaneous  conversation  with  several  agreeable  men. 
32 


498  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

FRIDAY,  NOVEMBER  13,  1807. 

I  have  nothing  material  to  note  to-day,  except  my  din 
ing  and  spending  the  evening  with  Mr.  Edward  T , 

whose  hospitality  but  too  successfully  seduces  the  pru 
dence  of  his  guests. 

SATURDAY,  NOVEMBER  14,  1807. 

Took  a  family  dinner,  to-day,  with  Jos.  Lewis,  who  had 
yesterday  appointed  to  take  me,  this  evening,  to  see  a  fine 
grazing  farm,  about  six  miles  from  town,  belonging  to  a 
man  of  the  name  of  Sickle,  at  the  confluence  of  the  Dela 
ware  and  Schuylkill.  We  set  out  in  Lewis's  carriage,  in 
company  with  a  Mr.  Hamilton,  a  very  amiable  English 
man,  who  formerly  belonged  to  the  Navy,  is  curious  in 
paintings,  of  which  he  has  a  handsome  collection  that  I 
have  not  yet  seen,  and  keeps  a  small  and  well-regulated 
academy  with  much  credit.  We  reached  the  place  early 
enough  to  see  it  and  the  fine  cattle  belonging  to  it,  to 
gether  with  a  remarkably  beautiful  heifer,  at  a  neighbor 
ing  plantation  of  Sickle's,  on  our  way  homeward.  This 
heifer,  about  three  years  old,  besides  her  fine  make,  would 
weigh,  it  is  said,  fifteen  hundred  pounds.  The  farm  was 
remarkable  for  its  banks,  faced  with  stone,  and  luxuriant 
pastures,  of  which,  however,  a  great  deal  is  wasted  for 
want  of  better  care,  notwithstanding  the  crops  of  hay 
taken  off"  every  spring  and  summer. 

SUNDAY,  NOVEMBER  15,  1807. 

I  am  much  mortified  by  my  detention  here,  through  the 
probably  delusive  hopes  Burr  has  held  out  to  me  of  the 


BAD    TASTE.  499 

probable  success  of  his  efforts  to  raise  money.  I  have 
almost  let  slip  the  season  for  descending  the  Ohio,  for 
there  is  much  appearance  of  an  early  winter ;  and  thus 
will  another  item  be  probably  added  to  the  long  account 
of  my  sufferings  by  this  man. 

Wrote  to  my  wife ;  read  and  dined  at  home  with  a  com 
pany  of  about  thirty,  among  whom  were  counted  individ 
uals  of  thirteen  different  nations,  and  General  Moreau, 
who  sets  out,  to-morrow,  for  New  Orleans,  with  a  single 
companion,  in  the  stage,  by  the  way  of  Pittsburgh.  The 
General  spoke  to  nobody;  but  his  companion,  Bollman, 
assures  me  he  is  a  man  of  little  speech  and  no  ideas, 
except  on  military  affairs ;  so  that  I  had  no  loss  in  dining 
with  a  conversable  party  at  a  distant  part  of  the  table. 
Wrote  this  evening  to  Luther  Martin  and  Doctor  Com- 
mins,  to  put  the  former  off  his  design  of  going  to  Chilli- 
cothe  for  Burr  and  myself,  and  to  remind  the  latter  of  my 
intention  to  travel  with  him,  and  have  a  concern  in  his 
negro  purchases. 

MONDAY,  NOVEMBER  16,  1807. 

Bollman,  to-day,  handed  me  a  printed  estimate  of  the 
value  and  yearly  profits  of  sugar  estates  in  the  Orleans 
territory,  furnished  him  by  Daniel  Clark,  now  here,  who 
will  decline  visiting  me,  I  apprehend,  until  I  shall  have 
extinguished  the  last  spark  of  Burrism  within  me,  with 
which,  I  suspect,  he  has  been  sufficiently  singed  to  dread 
the  fire.  Spent  the  best  part  of  the  morning  shopping, 
after  some  conversation  with  Bollman,  who  further  rec 
ommends  himself  by  a  disclosure  of  his  family  affairs  and 
narrow  circumstances,  unsought  altogether  on  my  part. 


500  THE  BLEXNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

The  result  of  Clark's  statement  is  a  yearly  return,  in 
Acadia  county,  of  twenty-eight  per  cent,  on  the  capital 
invested,  and  twenty-two  in  the  vicinity  of  Orleans,  which 
is  represented  superior  to  any  thing  farming  can  produce 
any  where  else,  hecause  no  more,  in  fact,  than  one-third 
of  the  capital  is  advanced  for  the  first  installment,  the 
produce  of  the  estate  clearing  itself  in  four  years.  But, 
though  examples  are  given  of  what  has  been  done  by  two 
or  three  planters  for  as  many  successive  years  in  the  vicin 
ity  of  Orleans,  the  counties  of  Acadia  and  La  Fourche,  as 
yet,  do  not  furnish  experience  of  what  might  be  expected 
in  those  situations,  and  the  best  management  and  no  acci 
dents  are  presumed. 

Supped  this  evening  with  Joe  Lewis,  and  on  my  return 
home  was  blest  with  a  letter  from  my  beloved  wife,  which 
I  found  on  my  bedroom  table,  and  probably  was  for 
warded,  under  cover  from  Baltimore,  to  Burr,  as  it  had 
no  postmark,  and  did  not  reach  me  through  Lewis.  This 
letter  is  of  28th  of  September,  at  which  time  all  was  well 
at  Natchez. 

TUESDAY,  NOVEMBER  17,  1807. 

Had  a  note  from  Burr,  this  morning,  to  dine  with 
him  to-morrow  at  4  o'clock,  which  invitation  I  have 
accepted,  in  anticipation  of  mixing,  probably  for  the  last 
time,  with  a  few  of  his  choice  spirits.  Spent  the  evening 
and  supped,  en  famille,  agreeably  with  Joe  Lewis.  There 
is  a  great  fall  of  snow  since  yesterday.  R.  Lewis  has 
solicited  to  see  my  notes,  which  I  could  not  refuse.  He 
pledged  his  discretion,  in  which  I  fully  confide. 


DAVIESS  S    PAMPHLET. 


501 


WEDNESDAY,  NOVEMBER  18,  1807. 

So  much  of  these  short  mornings  is  consumed  with 
visits,  the  papers,  and  the  unavoidable  waste  of  time 
that  can  not  be  denied  to  acquaintances  only,  that  little 
business  can  be  dispatched  by  me  before  dinner,  when 
that  call  must  be  answered  at  2,  or  even  3,  o'clock. 
To-day,  however,  I  did  a  little  shopping  before  I  came 
home  to  dress  for  Burr's  party,  which  I  joined  at  half- 
past  four,  consisting  only  of  Mr.  Biddel,  one  of  his  most 
attached  friends,  and  brother  to  the  notary  public  here, 
Dav.  Randolph,  Tom.  Butler,  Doctor  Commins,  Mr.  Pol 
lock,  Burr  and  myself.  The  party  was  as  insipid  as  pos 
sible.  Burr  is  evidently  dejected;  and  though  he  often 
affected  to  urge  and  enliven  the  conversation,  it  lan 
guished  through  the  stupidity  of  Randolph,  the  uncon 
cern  of  Pollock,  the  vacant  reserve  of  Commins,  the  in 
capacity  of  Butler,  the  nothingness  of  Biddel,  and  the 
aversion  of  myself  to  keep  it  up,  until  8  o'clock,  when 
it  expired ;  and  I  took  leave  soon  after  the  entrance  of  a 
General  Nichol,  who  seemed  another  of  Burr's  gaping 
admirers,  and  much  resembles,  in  manner,  breeding  and 
intellect,  General  Rupel,  of  Kentucky.  Thus  ended  the 
last  invitation  I  shall  ever  probably  receive  from  this 
American  Chesterfield,  who  is  fast  approaching  the  limits 
of  that  career  he  has  so  long  run,  through  the  absurd 
confidence  of  so  many  dupes  and  swindlers.  I  had  yes 
terday  put  into  my  hands,  for  the  first  time,  by  David 
Randolph,  Joe  Daviess's  pamphlet.  It  is  a  hasty,  pas 
sionate  performance,  seldom  alluding  particularly  to  me 
by  name,  but  bearing  hard  upon  Jefferson's  hypocrisy 


502  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

and  neglect  of  the  author,  and  the  early  information  he 
gave  him  of  Burr's  designs  and  first  movements.  The 
book  will,  with  all  its  defects,  mortify  Jefferson,  by  prov 
ing  to  the  world  that  he  would  at  no  time  open  his  eyes 
or  ears  to  Wilkinson's  intrigues  with  the  Spanish  Govern 
ment,  and,  therefore,  to  use  an  expression  of  the  author, 
"  the  President  is  as  much  espanishized  as  the  Brigadier." 
It  has  also  great  merit  in  its  comments,  and  the  parody  it 
contains  on  Jefferson's  communication  of  last  January  to 
Congress,  on  Burr's  operations  last  winter  on  the  Ohio  and 
Mississippi,  which  has  very  much  diverted  me.  This  per 
formance,  together  with  Judge  Marshall's  last  volume  of 
the  Life  of  Washington,  exposing  the  origin  and  views  of 
the  present  Democratic  party  in  power,  have,  by  this  time, 
I  have  no  doubt,  inspired  Jefferson  with  a  more  deadly 
hatred  of  the  Marshall  faction  than  he  has  ever  con 
ceived  of  all  the  Burrites  he  ever  heard  of.  I  was  present 
ed,  to-day,  by  a  Mr.  Nolta,  a  young  Italian,  who  has  often 
met  Wilkinson  at  parties  in  New  Orleans,  with  a  caricature 
of  that  General  &  la  Falstaff.  It  is  a  good  resemblance, 
and  pleased  me,  though  it  is  not  thought  as  well  done  as 
another  he  has  made  of  Edw.  Livingston,  as  a  companion 
to  the  first,  under  the  title  of  Lawyer  Greyhound.  I  have 
paid  my  second  week's  bill  here,  amounting,  in  the  whole, 
to  about  thirty  dollars ;  and  for  this,  though  I  do  not  dine 
at  home  half  my  time,  I  can  not  have  a  fire  in  my  room. 

THURSDAY,  NOVEMBER  19, 1807. 

Visited,  this  morning,  the  infant  Academy  of  the  Arts, 
lately  established  here,  with  Joseph  Lewis,  who  is  a  sub 
scriber  to  the  Institution,  and  showed  me  the  way  from 


PAINTINGS.  503 

his  counting-house,  where  I  pass  half  an  hour  every 
morning.  The  present  collection,  in  a  well  contrived 
building,  at  the  upper  end  of  Chestnut  Street,  is  slender 
in  paintings ;  all  of  which,  however,  I  did  not  stay  long 
enough  to  examine.  Two  fine  large  ones,  by  West,  of 
scenes  from  Lear  and  Hamlet,  are  lent  for  exhibition 
by  their  owner  Mr.  Fulton ;  and  there  are  few  other  orig 
inals  of  much  value,  for  painters  will,  for  at  least  a 
century  yet,  find  too  much  encouragement  in  Europe  to 
permit  the  establishment  of  an  American  school.  But 
the  many  fine  casts  taken,  by  permission,  of  Bonaparte, 
and  now  exhibited  here,  offer  a  feast  to  better  connoisseurs 
than  myself,  of  high  relish.  During  the  little  time  I 
spent  there,  however,  I  was  highly  pleased,  among  a 
great  number  my  notice  was  directed  to  by  Lewis,  to 
contemplate,  particularly,  a  large  and  a  small  Venus  de 
Medicis,  of  which  I  did  not  like  the  line  of  straight  con 
tinuation  between  the  nose  and  the  forehead,  so  justly 
condemned  by  Lavater.  I  speak  of  the  larger  of  the  two, 
which  otherwise  is  exquisite.  The  other  one  is  a  copy  in 
marble  of  Yenus  coming  out  of  the  bath ;  has  a  better 
face,  and  is  extremely  beautiful.  The  group  of  Laacoon 
and  the  Apollo  of  Belvidere  are  perfect  to  my  admiration, 
which  would  not  be  exhausted  upon  them  for  hours ;  and 
the  Farnesian  Hercules  is  as  well  copied  in  our  Lavater 
as  ever  an  engraving  represented  a  piece  of  sculpture 
But  Lewis's  early  dinner  hour  was  at  hand,  and  my  appe 
tite  for  these  morceaux  was  obliged  to  give  way  to  his  for 
his  beefsteaks ;  so  I  made  only  a  first  offering,  on  this 
occasion,  of  my  admiration  to  the  artists  of  antiquity, 
with  a  devout  hope  of  discharging  the  full  debt  of  my 


504  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

homage  hereafter  to  them,  when  I  shall  speak  more  of 
this  Institution. 

Dined  with  Lewis  very  agreeably,  as  usual,  and,  in  the 
evening,  young  Mr.  Coates,  son  of  Samuel  Coates,  whom 
we  knew  here  in  '96,  stepped  in  and  invited  me  to  dinner 
for  next  Monday,  at  his  country  place  on  the  Schuylkill, 
to  join  a  small  party. 

FRIDAY,  NOVEMBER  20, 1807. 

Having  determined,  last  Wednesday,  I  would  not  see 
two  days  more  pass  away  without  leaving  my  ultimatum 
with  Burr,  I  set  out  this  morning  for  his  quarters,  re 
solved  to  burst  the  cobweb  duplicity  of  all  his  evasions 
with  me  upon  money  matters.  It  will  be  seen  every 
where  in  these  notes,  how  long  and  how  insidiously  he 
has  trifled  with  my  claims  upon  him,  from  the  time  when 
he  assured  Barton  I  was  a  bankrupt,  and  denied  to  him 
my  possessing  any  legal  claims  upon  Alston  or  himself; 
while,  at  the  distance  of  fifteen  hundred  miles,  he  was 
writing  most  affectionately  to  me  until  the  last  interview 
I  have  this  day  had  with  him,  in  which  he  treated  me 
not  as  a  faithful  associate,  ruined  by  my  past  connection 
with  him,  but  rather  as  an  importunate  creditor  invading 
his  leisure  or  his  purse  with  a  questionable  account.  The 
time  therefore  has  fully  arrived,  at  which  I  should  deter 
mine  whether  I  should  attempt  to  secure  upward  of 
$7,000  for  my  family,  or  sacrifice  it  to  an  absurd  and  am 
phibious  character  of  an  associate  and  confidant  in  his 
views  to  future  projects,  without  principle  or  object,  and 
destitute  of  all  means  to  promote  them.  Under  these 
reflections,  patience  now  became  exhausted,  and  to  pro- 


OLD    SCORES.  505 

crastinate  any  longer  now  appeared  treason  to  my  family. 
I  therefore  set  seriously  about  the  task  I  had  allotted 
myself  for  this  morning.  I  found  him  alone,  and  had 
not  been  ten  minutes  with  him,  after  he  had  discharged 
a  shop-boy,  with  whom  he  had  been  trifling,  I  know 
not  how  long,  about  some  article  of  dress,  before  he  asked 
me  if  I  had  heard  of  Mr.  Luckett's  treatment  of  him? 
On  my  answering  in  the  negative,  he  informed  me  that 
Luckett  had  sent  a  marshal  to  him  yesterday,  and  obliged 
him  to  give  bail  to  the  amount  of  about  $16,000,  Luck 
ett's  claim,  I  suppose,  being  about  half  that  sum.  This 
intelligence  mortified  me,  as  it  convinced  me  I  had  lost 
time.  I  expressed  my  concern  for  this  new  embarrass 
ment  he  had  experienced,  as  it  might  narrow  his  means 
to  satisfy  other  claims  which  he  did  not  consider  ques 
tionable,  like  Luckett's.  He  asked  me  upon  this,  what 
claims  I  alluded  to  ?  I  said  it  was  with  great  regret  I 
should  mention  my  own;  namely,  the  amount  of  the 
account  I  had  furnished  him  with  in  Richmond,  and  my 
claim  for  his  protested  draft  held  by  Miller,  with  my  in 
dorsement  for  $4,000,  on  account  of  which  my  property 
on  the  Ohio  had  been  sacrificed  to  four  times  the  amount. 
Now,  had  you  seen  how  "  that  eye  of  his  did  from  its 
lustre  fly,"  you  would  have  beheld  a  little  man  indeed. 
He  was  dumb  and  motionless ;  but  he  soon  recovered  his 
accustomed  affectation,  and  asked,  what  was  the  amount 
of  my  account,  declaring  he  had  never  looked  into  it 
since  I  had  handed  him  it.  I  said  it  was  a  small  one,  ob 
viously  meaning  by  comparison  with  most  others  he  had 
settled  or  secured.  "A  pretty  small  one,"  he  replied, 


506  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

"  of  only  about  $3,000 ; "  and  said,  he  had  not  yet  ex 
amined  it.  This  sneer,  at  the  amount  of  my  account, 
and  the  questioning  of  its  fairness,  by  referring  it  to  ex 
amination,  which  he  falsely  said  he  had  not  given  it ;  for 
he  looked  it  over  the  evening  I  presented  it  at  Richmond, 
asked  a  question  or  two  on  some  of  the  items,  which  I 
answered,  informing  him  I  had  vouchers  for  most  of 
them,  which  he  said  he  did  not  want  to  see,  and  was 
satisfied  it  was  correct ;  such  a  diminution  of  that  suav 
ity  of  address,  with  which  he  had  already  too  often 
diverted  me  from  my  purpose,  now  exhibited  him  a  heart 
less  swindler  in  the  last  swoon  of  his  disorder,  and  de 
termined  me  to  hasten  my  departure.  I  suppose  I  testified 
my  feelings  sufficiently  by  my  looks  and  manner,  with 
out  removing  his  doubts  of  the  impression  this  treatment 
made  upon  me,  by  now  telling  him,  as  I  did,  that  my 
time  and  expectations  were  exhausted,  and  I  should  stay 
in  Philadelphia  no  longer;  that  I  perceived  he  could 
give  me  no  hopes  of  money,  which  I  did  not  expect,  but 
that,  though  I  was  contented  to  starve  myself,  I  must 
secure  something  for  my  family,  since  I  knew  he  had 
found  means  in  that  way  to  accommodate  every  other 
creditor,  which  was  all  that  detained  me  in  town.  He 
now  pretended  he  had  nobody  he  could  call  upon.  I 
observed,  I  thought  it  very  possible  he  might  never 
return  from  Europe,  in  which  case  my  family  must  have 
a  security  to  resort  to  in  this  country.  To  this  remark 
he  had  the  kindness  to  reply,  "that  when  I  said  my 
family,  I  meant  myself,  and  that  I  knew  all  his  friends." 
"You  do,"  said  he,  "'Mr.  Blennahassett " — so  he  has 


A   CRISIS.  507 

frequently  pronounced  my  name  before,  when  he  has  got 
beyond  self-management.  "Sir,"  said  I,  "I  must  insist 
upon  it,  I  do  not  know  all  your  friends."  Upon  this 
contradiction,  he  begged  my  pardon,  and  said  he  really 
thought  he  had  informed  me  of  all  who  were  his  friends 
in  that  city. 


508  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

WASHINGTON  CITY,  Oct.  29th,  1807. 

MY  DEAR  WIFE  : — To-morrow  I  set  out  from  here  for 
Baltimore,  in  company  with  Luther  Martin,  who  has 
pledged  himself  to  attend,  on  the  part  of  Col.  Burr  and 
myself,  at  the  Circuit  Court  of  the  United  States,  to  sit  at 
Chillicothe,  on  the  4th  of  January  next,  whether  we  shall 
personally  appear  or  not,  to  see  that  all  matters  respect 
ing  us  are  properly  conducted.  It  is  probable  I  shall  not 
regard  a  non-compliance  on  the  part  of  Government  with, 
not  a  request,  but  a  desire,  I  have  expressed  through  Rod 
ney,  the  United  States  Attorney  General,  that  they  would 
dispense  with  my  personal  appearance  until  the  ensuing 
term  in  September,  through  my  wishes,  in  the  mean 
time,  to  revisit  my  family  and  attend  to  my  private  af 
fairs  ;  for  the  proceedings  that  should  necessarily  precede 
a  forfeiture  of  the  recognizance  I  have  entered  into  can 
not  be  gone  through  before  January,  1809.  The  courts 
of  the  United  States  sitting  in  Ohio  only  twice  a  year, 
namely,  in  the  months  of  January  and  September,  Hard 
ing  can  explain  to  you  how  two  writs  of  scire  facias  must 
be  returned,  in  case  of  my  absence  from  the  district, 
before  my  recognizance  becomes  forfeited.  So  that  my 
present  plan  is  to  push  for  Natchez,  about  the  middle  of 
November,  in  company  with  Doctor  Conimins,  by  way  of 


MARITAL    SOLICITUDE.  509 

the  Ohio.  Government,  while  they  smart  under  the  mor 
tification  arising  from  the  issue  of  the  proceedings  at 
Richmond,  seem  determined  to  pursue  Burr  and  myself 
until  we  cry  mercy  ;  but  the  world  shall  first  cry  shame  ! 
This  evening  I  shall  receive  Rodney's  answer  to  my  let 
ter,  probably  negativing  my  demand,  but  that  will  not 
affect  my  movements.  My  affairs  will  detain  me  about 
ten  days  in  Philadelphia,  after  a  stay  of  two  in  Baltimore. 
I  have  strong  expectations  of  putting  my  claims  upon 
Burr  and  Alston  on  a  desirable  footing. 

As  to  news,  you  may  inform  those  most  interested,  par 
ticularly  our  esteemed  friend  Mr.  Hunt,  there  will  be  no 
war  w,ith  Britain,  much  less  with  Spain.  This  conclusion 
is  not  drawn  merely  from  the  President's  message  to  Con 
gress,  but  from  better  authority.  Electioneering,  secretly, 
is  very  active  here  on  the  part  of  Madison,  Clinton  and 
Monroe,  for  th  e  exclusion  of  Jefferson  from  the  next  Pres 
idency,  while  the  efforts  of  others  to  obtain  the  Vice 
Presidency,  establish  a  schism  in  the  present  party  in  pow 
er  which  exhibits  a  warning  type  of  the  future  destinies  of 
this  country.  Tyler  left  this  for  Baltimore,  this  morning. 
I  shall  see  him  there  and  learn  the  manner  in  which  he 
has  obtained  his  discharge,  which  has  been  given  him 
only  verbally,  by  Rodney.  Duane,  I  expect,  will  soon 
take  a  decided  part  against  Jefferson,  because  he  has  not 
been  less  awkward  in  tampering  with  letters  that  have 
passed  through  his  hands. 

I  hope  you  will  keep  up  a  rational  confidence  in  my 
resources  to  preserve  my  health  and  spirits ;  and  I  beseech 
you  to  seek  continually  the  utmost  variety  and  change  of 
scene,  which  I  so  well  know  the  happy  effects  of  upon 


510  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

you,  as  the  only  means  of  restoring  you  to  my  eyes  in  the 
state  I  beseech  God  to  grant  I  may  find  you. 

Luther  Martin  is  certainly  one  of  the  most  benevolent 
men  alive.  His  heart  is  overflowing  with  the  milk  of 
philanthropy,  which  his  potations  may  sometimes  coagu 
late,  but  will  never  acidify. 

Kiss  my  boys  for  me.  Your  sickness  has  diverted  my 
reflections  from  them  of  late ;  but  our  preserving  Provi 
dence  will  restore  us  in  its  own  time  according  to  our 
merits.  H.  B. 


BALTIMORE,  Tuesday,  Nov.  3d,  1807. 

Col.  Burr  set  off  to-day  at  1  o'clock,  P.  M.,  in  the  mail, 
for  Philadelphia,  with  S.  Swartwout,  as  he  had  no  par 
ticular  desire  to  behold  a  representation  of  his  execution. 
I  was  a  little  more  curious ;  and,  notwithstanding  hand 
bills  were  this  morning  scattered  through  the  town,  pur 
porting  that  the  execution  of  Judge  Marshall,  A.  Burr, 
Luther  Martin  and  myself  would  take  place  at  Gallows 
Hill,  at  3  o'clock  this  evening,  I  both  dined  and  supped  at 
the  public  table,  with  very  large  companies,  here  at 
Evans's,  and  am,  after  all,  hearty  and  in  good  spirits. 
The  mob  was  made  up  from  the  Point,  but  pledged  their 
honor,  which  they  did  not  violate,  that  they  would  hurt 
no  person.  They  were  followed  by  two  troops  of  horse 
through  the  streets,  to  see  they  did  their  business  orderly. 
All  have  dispersed  at  least  three  hours  ago,  it  being  now 
11,  P.  M. 

I  start  to-morrow  for  Philadelphia,  where  I  am  sure 
I  shall  not  receive  such  public  honors.  I  tire  you  with 


IN    BALTIMORE.  511 

too  many  letters  ;  but  it  is  to  prevent  your  paying  any  at 
tention  to  the  newspapers.  I  expect  Doctor  Commins  and 
myself  will  travel  together  to  Natchez.  I  pray  God  this 
may  find  you  and  the  boys  well.  This  is  the  only  care 
that  occupies 

Your  husband,  HARMAN  BLENNERHASSETT. 


BALTIMORE,  Nov.  14^,  1807. 

DEAR  SIR  : — Your  favor  of  the  8th  inst.  I  have  received, 
and  thank  you  for  the  friendly  and  affectionate  sentiments 
you  have  expressed  for  me.  Should  you  return  by  this 
place,  you  will  certainly  see  me.  I  shall,  I  flatter  myself, 
occasionally  hear  from  you,  should  you  leave  Philadelphia 
by  a  different  route.  I  have  written  to  Baldwin  and  Bur- 
net,  and  have  inclosed  for  Judge  Todd  an  open  letter, 
under  cover,  to  Col.  Burr.  I  certainly  should  wish  to 
avoid  a  journey  to  Chillicothe  at  so  severe  a  season  of  the 
year,  if  thought  unnecessary.  Whether  witnesses  will  at 
tend  against  Col.  Burr  or  yourself,  is  uncertain.  "Whether 
bills  will  be  found,  is  more  uncertain  ;  and  it  is  impossible 
that  trials  should  take  place  at  next  term,  even  should 
bills  be  found.  Under  these  circumstances,  the  presence 
of  neither  of  us  ought  to  be  necessary.  We  are  once  more 
at  peace ;  I  mean  in  the  city  of  Baltimore.  The  conduct 
of  the  mob  is  most  unmercifully  condemned  and  dis 
cussed  ;  and  the  leaders  are,  in  truth,  though  they  keep 
up  the  best  appearances  they  can,  heartily  ashamed  of 
themselves.  Dr.  Commins  leaves  me  to-day,  by  the 
water-stage.  I  direct  this  to  his  care,  lest  you  should 
have  left  Philadelphia.  Though  I  shall  ever  feel  pleased 


512  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

in  having  been  introduced  to  your  acquaintance,  yet  I 
must  regret,  on  your  account,  the  circumstances  under 
which  that  acquaintance  hath  been  formed.  You  will 
introduce  me,  though  not  personally,  yet  with  my  best 
regards,  to  your  lady  and  your  little  ones;  to  hear  of 
their  and  your  happiness  will  increase  mine. 

I  am,  my  dear  Sir,  with  great  sincerity,  your  friend 
and  obedient  servant, 

LUTHER  MARTIN. 
H.  BLENNERHASSETT,  ESQ. 


To  Mrs.  Blennerhassett. 

PHILADELPHIA,  Nov.  11th,  1807. 

MY  DEAR  WIFE  : — As  I  expected  when  I  wrote  last 
from  Baltimore,  this  day  fortnight,  I  have  found  my 
reception  in  this  city  easy  and  undisturbed.  I  have 
been  here  a  week  last  Wednesday,  having  arrived  the 
5th  inst.  I  hope  .you  received  that  letter  to  prepare 
you  for  a  just  reception  of  the  accounts  that  must 
reach  you  by  the  papers  of  a  rising  at  Baltimore,  of 
which  my  effigy  only  was  one  of  the  objects. 

I  am  much  teased  by  various  causes  of  detention  here 
which  I  can  not  control.  The  arrangement  of  my  pecu 
niary  claims  on  Col.  Burr,  and  the  acquisition  of  slaves, 
neither  of  them  yet  effected,  are  the  principal.  It  is  un 
certain  still  how  soon  I  can  even  hope  to  leave  this  town. 
Many  motives  incite  me  to  go  round  by  sea,  in  a  fine  ves 
sel,  with  Bollman  and  other  agreeable  passengers,  to  sail 
about  the  middle  of  next  week ;  for  there  are  reasons  why 


DIFFICULT    TRAVEL.  513 

I  should  not  even  appear  at  Marietta,  though  so  many  de 
mands  call  thither.  But  I  yet  think  that  will  be  my 
course.  I  receive  the  most  friendly  attentions  from  my 
friends,  the  Lewises,  and  others. 

To-morrow  I  dine  with  Mr.  Pollock,  a  gentleman  of 
fortune  and  great  respectability,  where  Col.  Burr  has 
taken  up  his  quarters.  I  wonder  you  have  not  yet  drawn 
upon  J.  S.  Lewis,  for  any  sum  not  exceeding  $500, 
through  Harding.  I  am  at  a  loss  to  conceive  what  you 
have  resorted  to,  particularly  as  you  call  upon  me,  in  your 
most  welcome  letter  of  28th  September,  to  direct  the  dis 
position  of  about  §1,200  you  expected  to  receive  on  your 
negro  speculation.  My  only  wish  is  that  you  should 
apply  the  money  to  your  own  occasions,  calling  to  the  aid 
of  your  judgment  the  advice  of  that  excellent  friend 
whom  you  will  one  day  further  discover  I  have  justly 
appreciated.  Butler,  who  is  now  here,  made  me  very 
unhappy,  by  telling  me  he  left  him  very  sick,  and  I  sin 
cerely  sighed  to  be  at  his  bedside. 

A  large  fund  of  stoicism  will  be  necessary  to  support 
the  want  of  letters  from  you  till  we  meet ;  for  I  suppose 
you  have,  according  to  directions  long  since  given  you, 
ceased  to  write ;  and  it  would  be  impossible  to  instruct 
you  how  to  direct  to  me,  my  change  of  place  will  be  so 
variable. 

We  have  to-day  a  heavy  fall  of  snow  here,  and  I  fear 
I  shall  not  be  able  to  take  water  on  the  Ohio  before  it 
breaks  up.  This,  with  other  considerations,  lends  much 
to  determine  me  upon  the  voyage  by  sea  to  New  Orleans. 
But  I  can  not  make  up  my  mind  until  I  again  see  D. 
Commins,  whom  I  hourly  expect  here  from  Baltimore, 
83 


514  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

with  whom  I  must  endeavor  to  procure  some  negroes,  or 
by  some  other  means,  as  I  can  not  think  of  returning 
without  some  new  ones,  or  at  least  our  old  ones  from 
Ohio. 

I  live  here  at  the  Mansion  House  Hotel,  late  Bing- 
ham's,  in  Third  Street,  kept  by  an  Englishman  in  the 
best  style  I  have  yet  seen  in  America.  My  expenses  are 
heavier  than  I  wish,  on  every  account,  but  I  have  become 
so  public  a  character,  any  thing  tending  to  shabbiness  or 
obscurity  would  bring  discredit  upon  you,  to  avoid  which 
I  know  you  would  prefer  a  larger  share  of  future  sacri 
fices.  The  company  are  genteel  and  numerous,  princi 
pally  foreigners,  and  not  a  Democrat  in  thirty,  the  general 
number  at  the  house. 

My  silence  on  your  recovery  and  the  health  of  the  boys 
arises  from  inability  to  express  my  joy  and  thanksgiving 
to  God.  But  I  beseech  you  to  seek  the  utmost  change  of 
company  and  occupation.  Nothing  can  better  insure  my 
hopes  of  finding  you  re-established  in  your  constitution ; 
and  every  day's  experience  convinces  me  of  the  wisdom 
and  facility  of  not  only  mitigating  the  ills  of  life,  by 
resolving  to  contemn  their  mischief,  but  even  of  our 
capability  to  be  happy  in  spite  of  them.  Without  disap 
pointing  contrary  conclusions  you  would  draw  from  our 
separation,  I  could  give  you  many  examples,  during  my 
reverses,  since  I  left  you;  but  you  will  hereafter  find 
them  with  more  satisfaction  in  my  notes.  I  shall  only 
add,  that  you  should  never  forget  that  a  steady  pursuit 
of  gaiety  will  prove  the  best  prescription  for  the  longest 
enjoyment  of  the  summer  season,  and  prepare  the  largest 
and  most  serene  autumn  of  life.  We  have  prospects 


LOVE    OF    STYLE.  515 

already  opened  to  you  that  beckon  us  to  wealth  and 
repose;  if  they  should  prove  delusive,  our  piety  and 
moderation  will  insure  tranquillity. 

I  am  much  at  a  loss  to  know  how  to  buy  any  thing 
here  for  you.  I  shall,  however,  procure  some  things.  I 
have  rigged  myself  out  in  consideration  of  the  extrava 
gant  prices  of  things  at  Natchez  ;  and  have  not  forgotten 
the  boys'  shoes,  though  God  knows  when  they  will  get 
them,  and  I  can, badly  guess  the  sizes.  I  could  tell  you  a 
good  deal  .of  what  might  pass  for  news  with  you,  but  it 
is  not  worth  while,  and  could  not  find  room  here.  I 
must  not  refuse,  however,  to  mention  that  I  have  heard 
here  young  Michael  de  Courcy  is  married  to  a  rich  lady 
in  England,  and  has  a  child  or  two.  The  Admiral's 
daughter  is  married  to  a  Captain  Dashwood,  of  the  Navy. 
I  learned  no  other  particulars  of  the  family.  Wilkinson, 
I  hear,  has  taken  passage  from  Baltimore  for  New  Or 
leans,  contrary  to  every  expectation  I  could  form,  which 
I  mention  as  a  circumstance,  if  true,  not  quite  indifferent 
to  my  future  tranquillity  on  the  Mississippi. 

You  forgot  to  put  Kitty  Percy's,  and  your  own,  hair 
into  your  letter,  with  the  boys'  drawings.  The  disap 
pointment,  I  hope,  has  not  arisen  from  my  knowing  how 
to  prize  both.  How  happy  I  should  feel,  hereafter,  in  the 
pleasure  Miss  P.  might  enjoy,  and  confer  upon  us,  by 
making  a  trip  with  us  to  Europe.  Burr  has  given  notice 
to  the  Marshal. of  Virginia,  to  be  prepared  with  a  guard 
of  gentlemen  at  Richmond,  to  conduct  him  from  thence, 
on  the  16th  of  next  month,  to  Chillicothe ;  but  some  in 
tervention  or  other,  I  apprehend,  will  prevent  that  jour 
ney.  Harding  will  smile  at  this ;  but  let  him  mourn 


516  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

over  the  misery  of  talents  without  strength  of  nerve  or 
energy  of  character,  which  have  only  shone  to  consume 
the  fame  of  the  Chief  Justice,  who  has  disappointed 
every  lawyer  and  friend  he  possessed,  and  may  possibly 
fall  a  sacrifice  to  the  mob  government  of  the  day,  for 
attempting  to  stroke,  while  he  should  have  muzzled,  the 

tiger  of  Democracy.     Remind  H g  continually  of  my 

attachment;  and  assure  the  Scotts,  Major  Trask,  and  all 
other  friends,  of  my  warm  regards.  War  direct  with 
Britain  is  even  yet  the  dread  of  the  Democrats ;  but 
should  it  happen  in  six  months  afterward,  down  fall  Jef 
ferson  and  company. 

From  your  husband,        HARMAN  BLENNERHASSETT. 


To  Aaron  Burr,  Esq. 

MANSION  HOUSE,  PHIL  A.,  Nov.  28£A,  1807. 
SIR  :— I  have  reflected,  with  much  concern,  on  an  ob 
servation  which  fell  from  you  yesterday ;  namely,  that 
my  account  was  not  a  small  one,  and  that  you  had  not  yet 
examined  it.  You  may  recollect,  when  I  presented  it  to 
you  at  Richmond,  I  told  you  I  had  vouchers  for  most  of 
the  items  it  contained ;  to  which  I  will  now  add,  that  I 
can  substantiate  the  whole,  whenever  it  may  become  nec 
essary  ;  and,  on  receiving  it  from  me,  you  said  you  were 
satisfied  it  was  correct,  and  wanted  to  see  no  vouchers. 
If  I  have  misunderstood  you,  on  either  of  these  occasions, 
I  shall  expect  to  hear  from  you  in  the  course  of  this  even 
ing,  with  a  statement  of  your  objections,  if  any,  to  my 
charges. 


TO    HIS    WIFE.  517 

The  exact  amount  of  my  demand,  on  account  of  my 
indorsement  of  the  bills  upon  which  I  have  been  sued  by 
Miller,  I  can  not  immediately  ascertain.  I  believe  the 
damages  are  £10,  chargeable  with  interest,  as  well  as  the 
principal,  from  the  time  the  bill  was  returned. 

In  the  close  of  the  late  interesting  intercourse  that  has 
so  long  subsisted  between  us,  you  must  perceive,  sir,  I 
feel  myself  released  from  the  performance  of  an  offer  I 
made  you  of  introductory  letters  to  the  Lords  Elgin, 
Courtenay  and  Sackville.  I  feel  that  I  could  not  solicit 
their  attentions  to  you  as  my  friend ;  and  I  should  wish 
to  decline  doing  so  on  any  other  grounds. 

I  am,  sir,  with  all  respect  and  consideration,  your 
obedient  servant,  HAEMA^  BLENKERHASSETT. 


To  Mrs.  Blennerhdssett. 

PHILADELPHIA,  Nov.  30£A,  1807. 

MY  DEAR  WIFE  : — I  have  just  closed  a  trunk  which, 
with  a  box,  a  bundle  of  coach-harness  and  a  demijohn  of 
lamp  oil,  will  leave  to-day  by  the  brig  Mary,  directed  to 
you  to  the  care  of  Lenlow,  Turner  &  Co.  In  the  bottom 
of  the  trunk  you  will  find  two  small  volumes  of  my 
notes,  intended  for  no  eye  at  ISTatchez  but  Harding's  and 
your  own.  You  will,  therefore,  when  not  in  your  hands, 
always  keep  them  under  lock  and  key.  The  ducks  are  to 
be  put  upon  water,  and  the  pointed  end  of  the  magnet 
brought  near  their  beaks  to  make  them  approach  you ; 
the  blunt  end  will  make  them  recede.  Keep  the  mag 
net  from  wet,  and  do  n't  let  it  fall. 


518  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

I 

I  hope  you  will  soon  safely  receive  the  things  I  sent 
before  me,  which  I  will  follow  as  soon  as  I  can ;  but  I  find 
it  impossible  to  avoid  going  to  Marietta,  without  irrep 
arable  prejudice  to  our  affairs,  and  I  think  it  better  to 
be  a  month  longer  away  before  we  meet,  than  to  have  to 
leave  you  again  in  August,  which  might  probably  happen 
if  I  did  not  appear  in  Ohio,  where  I  may  prevent  the 
finding  of  other  bills  against  me,  or  otherwise  get  rid  of 
the  criminal  proceedings  against  me  altogether.  I  there 
fore  set  out  at  4  o'clock  to-morrow  morning,  in  the  Pitts 
burgh  coach,  and  shall  not  delay  to  write  to  you  from 
thence  or  from  Marietta. 

As  you  will  observe  by  my  notes,  I  apprehend  I  have 
broken  with  Aaron  Burr  on  a  writ,  and  shall  succeed  that 
way,  since  all  others  have  failed  to  secure  a  demand  upon 
him  of  $8,000,  as  you  shall  better  understand  hereafter. 

You  may  depend  upon  my  exertions  to  get  upon  the 
water  as  speedily  as  the  season  and  my  circumstances  will 
permit.  I  shall  give  charge  of  the  key  of  the  trunk  to 
the  Captain  of  the  Mary,  or  Doctor  Bollman,  who  goes 
passenger  in  her.  I  have  told  him  he  is  recommended  to 
your  polite  attention,  if  he  should  visit  Natchez,  as  he 
proposes  to  do ;  but  beware  of  the  most  insidious  influ 
ence  of  his  manners  and  address,  as  they  are  irresistible 
by  ordinary  minds. 

It  is  already  reported  in  the  best  circles  here,  that  I 
have  become  a  friend  to  Jefferson.  This  is  amusing,  and 
may  be  very  serviceable. 

I  have  not  time  to  add  more,  as  the  mail  is  near  clos 
ing.     Tom.  Buller  is  to  travel  with  me  as  far  as  Carlisle. 
From  your  husband,  HAR.   BLENNERHASSETT. 


BURNET   AND   BALDWIN.  519 

MARIETTA,  Dec.  17*A,  7,  P.  M.,  1807. 
DEAR  WIFE  : — I  have  been  here  since  Tuesday  morning, 
and  find  appearances  of  every  sort  infinitely  more  flatter 
ing  than  I  had  expected.     Col.  Gushing  has  been  up  to 
see  me,  and  will  not  leave  me  before  noon  to-morrow.     I 

have  an  opportunity,  by  the  favor  of Wilkins,  on  his 

way  to  Natchez,  of  speedily  informing  you  I  shall  endeavor 
to  fly  from  the  declining  storm  of  Jacobin  malice  in  eight 
or  ten  days,  if  the  waters  will  favor  my  escape.  But  if  they 
do  not,  you  may  be  assured  I  have  nothing  to  fear  at  Chil- 
licothe,  where  I  can  overawe  the  miserable  speculations 
of  the  marshal,  based  upon  the  profits  he  expects  to  make 
of  the  trials  there.  .1  have  seen  all  the  negroes,  except 
Ransom  and  Clara ;  I  think  they  are  well  disposed  to  ac 
company  me,  and  I  shall  get  them  off,  with  more  or  less 
difficulty.  I  even  propose  purchasing  Daniel,  and  a  fam 
ily  of  six  heads,  for  $1,400.  I  look  daily  for  the  arrival 
of  Commins,  whom  I  have  joined  in  fitting  out  a  boat  at 
Pittsburgh.  My  coming  on  here  without  Commins,  was 
to  dispatch  as  much  of  my  business  in  this  quarter  as  I 
could,  while  his  detained  him  some  time  above.  I  have 
only  time  to  add,  I  have  retained  Burnet  and  Baldwin ; 
the  former  will  be  a  host  of  law  with  the  decent  part  of 
the  citizens  of  Ohio ;  the  latter,  a  giant  of  influence  with 
the  rabble,  whom  he  justly  styled  his  "  bloodhounds,"  and 
has  in  good  training  to  bait  Wilkinson,  whenever  he  gives 
them  the  scent.  God  bless  you  and  our  dear  boys.  I  hope 
I  shall  soon  embrace  you  all  in  health,  if  Mr.  Wilkins  was 
not  mistaken  when  he  informed  me  he  heard  by  letter 
from  Mr.  Elliot,  dated  in  October,  you  were  then  well. 
Your  husband,  HAR.  BLENNERHASSETT. 


520  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

To  Mrs.  M.  Blennerhassett. 

NINE  MILES  ABOVE  NATCHEZ, 
Sunday,  Feb.  Sth,  6,  P.  M. 

To  secure  the  success  of  the  two  objects  of  my  present 
journey;  namely,  the  conveyance  to  you  of  what  pro 
perty  I  could  bring  away  from  the  Ohio,  and  the  enjoy 
ment  of  a  few  months'  repose  with  you,  I  have  deter 
mined  not  to  yield  to  the  hopes  or  fears  with  which  I 
have  approached  you,  by  leaving  my  boats  until  Harding, 
to  whom  I  have  written,  may  advise  me  to  venture  my 
appearance  on  shore. 

Uncertain  whether  Dr.  Shaw  or  my  other  enemies  are 
yet  apprised  of  my  having  failed  to  make  my  personal 
appearance  at  Chillicothe,  on  the  4th  of  last  month,  and 
ignorant  how  far  they  may  speculate  upon  whatever  news 
they  may  have  received  from  that  quarter  since  that 
period,  I  am  resolved  to  continue  afloat,  that  I  may,  at  a 
moment's  warning,  start  with  my  light  keel-boat,  and  be, 
in  about  four  hours,  beyond  the  line,  about  sixty  miles 
below  Natchez,  whither  you  can  follow  with  your  family 
and  effects  by  my  flat-boat,  under  the  care  of  my  friend 
Mr.  Weaver,  who  has  traveled  with  me. 

If  this  arrangement  takes  place,  I  shall  want  one  of 
your  black  men,  in  lieu  of  whom  I  shall  leave  a  boy; 
and  you  will  also  forward  to  me,  or  bring  with  you, 
such  letters  from  Grand  Pre*,  as  can  be  obtained  from 
Minor,  Yidal  and  Mr.  Dunbar. 

You  may  now  privately  make  your  way  to  my  boat, 
under  the  guidance  of  Mr.  Weaver  or  Honest  Moses  ;* 

*A  family  servant. 


DIARY   ENDED.  521 

one  of  whom  will  deliver  you  this  letter.  You  must 
not  mention  my  arrival  to  the  boys  or  servants  until  I 
see  them,  or  shall  have  left  the  shore. 

Heaven   grant  that  I   may  happily  embrace   you   in 
health  and  spirits. 

From  your  husband,  HAR.  BLENNERHASSETT. 

P.  S. — I  refer  you  to  Moses  for  all  intelligence  you 
may  desire  upon  small  matters. 


Thus,  after  the  close  of  this  memorable  trial,  which 
had  occupied  the  public  attention  for  several  months, 
Blennerhassett  returned  to  Natchez.  The  continued 
anxiety  attendant  on  a  tedious  investigation  of  the  charge 
of  treason,  in  which  character  and  life  were  involved; 
the  accumulation  of  debts ;  the  neglect  of  domestic  inter 
ests,  and  the  rapid  decline  of  his  resources,  were  discour 
agements,  indeed,  under  which  stouter  hearts  might  well 
have  sunk  without  the  charge  of  effeminacy. 

The  creditors,  who  had  advanced  funds  upon  his  obli 
gations,  finding  his  pecuniary  affairs  becoming  daily  more 
embarrassed,  were  insolent  and  exacting.  Liquidation 
was  demanded ;  and,  when  they  saw  that  he  neither  had 
the  funds  to  meet  them,  nor  the  ability  to  procure  further 
credit,  they  pursued  him  with  the  precepts  of  the  law, 
with  a  rapacity  equaled  only  by  their  uncharitable  invec 
tives.  A  portion  of  his  library  and  philosophical  appa 
ratus,  which  had  been  his  amusement  in  prosperity,  and 
the  solace  of  his  darker  hours ;  the  remaining  furniture 
possessing  value  to  him,  wholly  unappreciated  by  others, 
were  attached  and  sold  at  a  criminal  sacrifice. 


522  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

His  beautiful  mansion,  together  with  its  surrounding 
shrubbery,  had  been  regarded  and  used  as  public  prop 
erty.  Its  fair  gardens  had  been  destroyed,  not  less  by  the 
hands  of  the  ruthless  freebooter  than  the  negligence  of 
his  tenants  and  the  floods  of  the  Ohio.  Not  satisfied 
with  that  which  might  be  removed  without  injury  to  the 
freehold,  the  window-casings  were  torn  out,  to  procure 
the  leaden  weights  by  which  the  sashes  were  raised. 
Even  the  beautiful  stone  roller,  used  for  leveling  his 
grounds,  was  crushed  to  pieces,  to  obtain  the  iron  axles 
on  which  it  ran.  The  island  itself  was  extended,  by  a 
writ  of  elegit9  at  the  suit  of  Robert  Miller,  of  Kentucky, 
who  commenced  the  culture  of  hemp,  and  the  manufac 
turing  of  cordage. 

Such  is  but  the  every-day  lesson  of  human  experience  ! 
Such  is  the  sympathy  of  unfeeling  man  with  the  misfor 
tune  and  distress  of  his  fellow  man !  To-day  he  kneels 
at  the  shrine  of  friendship,  as  the  bestial  Caliban  at  the 
feet  of  Stephano,  and  calls  the  object  of  its  worship, 
"god;"  to-morrow  shrinks  cowardly  from  it,  and  returns 
his  gratitude  in  foul  misdeeds  and  wanton  injuries. 

Cotton,  at  that  time,  commanded  an  exorbitant  price. 
Investments  in  lands  adapted  to  its  culture,  and  slaves  to 
work  it,  afforded  rich  returns  for  the  amount  of  capital 
employed.  Many  were  turning  their  attention  to  it. 
Blennerhassett  conceived  it  a  favorable  mode  of  retriev 
ing  his  shattered  fortune.  He  therefore  concluded  a  pur 
chase  of  a  thousand  acres  of  land,  in  Claiborne  county, 
at  St.  Catherine's,  near  Gibsonport,  Mississippi,  and 
placed  upon  it  a  small  number  of  slaves.  Here,  again, 
after  the  varied  incidents  of  two  long  years,  in  which  he 


AT  HOME  AGAIN!  523 

had  been  buffeted  about,  by  the  whirlwind  of  uncourted 
excitement,  he  found  a  HOME. 

Those  accustomed  to  battle  with  the  vicissitudes  of  for 
tune  but  struggle  the  greater  when  encountered  by  oppos 
ing  difficulties.  On  the  contrary,  those  cradled  in  the  lap 
of  ease,  are  but  poorly  prepared  to  meet  adversity,  unless 
endowed  with  unusual  perseverance.  This  latter  quality 
it  was  not  Blennerhassett's  fortune  to  possess.  Accus 
tomed  not  only  to  the  comforts  but  the  elegancies  of  life, 
he  was  a  stranger  to  want.  His  sleep  had  never  been 
disturbed  by  visions  of  distress ;  nor  his  energies  excited 
through  cupidity  or  avarice.  It  may  well  be  imagined, 
therefore,  that  he  was  but  slightly  qualified  to  sustain 
himself,  under  his  present  embarrassments.  For  him, 
life  had  but  few  attractions,  save  those  that  were  found 
in  the  pursuits  of  science ;  and  to  deprive  him  of  these, 
was  to  deprive  him  of  the  happiness  of  existence. 

With  a  full  appreciation  of  her  husband's  feelings,  Mrs. 
Blennerhassett  undertook  to  aid  him  in  the  management 
of  his  farm.  At  the  early  dawn,  she  mounted  her  horse, 
to  convey  to  the  overseer  the  instructions  committed  to 
her  charge.  In  this,  however,  she  never  neglected  the 
affairs  of  her  household,  or  those  affectionate  attentions 
to  her  family,  which  render  the  felicities  of  home  bright 
to  the  recollection  of  husband  and  child,  when  the  mem 
ory  of  all  else  has  perished. 

Devereux  to  Blennerhassett. 

LONDON,  Sept.  *lih,  1808. 

MY  DEAR  AND  RESPECTED  SIR  : — This  makes  my  second 
letter  to  you  since  my  arrival  in  this  country.  In  my  for- 


524  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

mer,  I  acknowledged  with  gratitude  and  thanks  the  re 
ceipt  of  your  dear  and  most  welcome  letter  from  Rich 
mond.  What  trials,  what  misfortunes,  have  you  not  un 
dergone,  and  your  dear  and  worthy  Mrs.  Blennerhassett 
too !  But,  my  friend,  though  great  your  misfortunes, 
what  are  they  when  compared  to  those  which  the  gener 
ous  and  ill-fated  Barry  family  have  lately  undergone  ?  I 
am  really  so  overwhelmed  with  grief  at  the  sad  tidings  I 
have  had  within  these  few  days  of  that  family,  that  I  can 
scarcely  arrange  my  thoughts  so  as  to  be  understood. 
Only  think  of  it,  that  poor  Mrs.  Barry,  after  the  demise 
of  her  beloved  husband  in  New  York,  hastened  with  her 
only  remaining  daughter  to  Madeira,  in  hopes  of  preserv 
ing  her  existence  by  a  change  of  climate ;  but,  alas !  it 
was  too  late :  she  died  soon  after  her  arrival  there ;  and 
her  poor  mother,  broken-hearted,  is  now  left  the  last  of 
her  family.  This  melancholy  and  deplorable  event  has 
awakened  all  my  woes.  My  dear  friend,  what  is  this  life, 
after  all  ? 

From  the  trying  afflictions  you  and  your  worthy  Mrs. 
Blennerhassett  have  so  lately  experienced,  I  should  not 
thus  obtrude  my  griefs  upon  you.  But  they  are  griefs  pro 
duced  by  the  sufferings  of  one  of  the  best  of  families,  and 
who,  with  yours,  most  attract  my  regards  of  any  in  this 
world.  Enough  of  this  painful  subject — too  painful  to 
dwell  upon. 

As  I  mentioned  to  you  in  my  last  letter,  I  perfectly 
agree  with  you  in  the  sentiments  you  expressed  to  me 
from  Richmond,  and  which  I  have  long  felt,  I  assure  you. 
Yes,  my  friend,  from  what  is  past,  and  from  what  is  gone, 
never  to  be  recalled  again,  I  could  most  willingly  estrange 


525 

myself  from  this  world  to  share  a  little  content  with  you 
in  any  corner  or  in  any  obscurity. 

I  have  already  mentioned  to  you  that  I  failed  in  my 
application  to  this  government.  They  will  not  even  per 
mit  me  to  visit  my  native  country.  I,  knowing  the  cause, 
am  not  surprised  at  it;  for  you  must  know  they  inter 
cepted  one  of  O'Connor's  letters  to  me,  about  three  years 
ago,  in  which  he  offered  me  a  nattering  rank  to  enter  the 
French  service  with  him.  This  offer,  though  made  to  aid 
misfortune  more  than  rebellion,  has  operated  very  seri 
ously  against  me ;  and,  was  it  not  for  the  precaution  I  took 
previous  to  my  leaving  the  United  States,  I  might  now  be 
immured  in  the  Tower.  But,  my  dear  friend,  the  disap 
pointment  does  not  now  affect  me;  for,  truly,  I  never 
cared  so  little  as  to  independence  in  money  matters  as 
I  do  at  this  moment. 

Without  adverting  to  the  cause  of  my  inquiry,  I  asked 
two  or  three  gentlemen  from  about  Cork  as  to  the  per 
sons  you  have  named,  but  could  gain  no  satisfactory  in 
telligence.  Had  I  been  permitted  to  have  gone  to  Ire 
land,  I  should  have  gone  every  length  in  tracing  that 
subject.  As  I  feel  extremely  anxious  to  hear  from  you, 
and  of  your  estimable  lady  and  children,  I  entreat  you  to 
write  me  as  speedily  as  possible  of  your  future  plans,  and 
where  we  are  yet  to  meet. 

As  I  can  not  express  to  you,  my  dearest  friend,  what  I 
feel,  I  shall  end  this  scrawl  with  best  wishes  and  regards 
to  you,  dear  Mrs.  Blennerhassett,  and  my  young  friend 
Dominick. 

Your  most  truly  attached  and  distressed  friend, 

J.  DEVEREUX. 


526  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

P.  S. — I  do  'nt  mean  to  return  to  the  United  States 
immediately.  There  is  no  prospect  I  should  think  of 
the  embargo's  being  very  soon  raised,  unless  for  a  more 
active  scene  of  operation;  and,  of  course,  if  so,  there 
could  he  nothing  to  engage  my  attention  particularly 
there;  and  by  remaining  here,  I  am  more  to  myself 
from  the  sight  of  the  world.  Hoping  that  you  will  not 
omit  writing  to  me  by  the  first  opportunity,  I  am,  again, 
Yours,  most  sincerely,  J.  D. 

A  remittance  of  £300  from  Ireland,  being  a  balance 
from  Lord  Yentry,  on  the  sales  of  his  estates,  enabled 
Blennerhassett  to  start  afresh  in  his  new  field  of  enter 
prise.  The  business  correspondence  between  himself  and 
his  consignee,  Joseph  S.  Lewis,  of  Philadelphia,  is  vo 
luminous,  and  of  but  little  interest  to  the  general  reader, 
further  than  showing  his  efforts  were  not  altogether  in 
effectual.  A  few  of  these  only,  together  with  one  or  two 
letters  from  his  old  friends,  are  here  inserted  : 


Joseph  S.  Lewis  to  JBlennerhassett. 

PHILADELPHIA,  July,  1809. 

MY  DEAR  SIR: — On  Saturday,  I  received  from  Mr. 
Harding  your  esteemed  letter  of  the  9th  of  June,  ac 
quainting  me  with  your  having  consigned  your  son 
Dominick  to  me.  I  accept  this  trust  with  pleasure,  ac 
companied,  at  the  same  time,  with  great  anxiety;  and 
you  may  assure  yourself  my  care  of  him  shall  only  be 
second  to  that  of  my  own  children. 

Mr.  Harding  will  inform  you  that  the  Board  of  Health 


ADOPTION.  527 

will  not  permit  him  to  come  into  the  city  before  the  4th 
of  August,  although  every  one  on  board  the  ship  was  in 
good  health,  and  that,  therefore,  they  have  stopped  at 
Darby,  about  seven  miles  from  town,  where  I  have  been 
twice  to  see  them,  and,  yesterday,  took  Mrs.  Lewis  with 
me,  who  feels  all  a  mother's  anxious  care,  and  enters  into 
Mrs.  Blennerhassett's  feelings  on  parting  with  so  beloved 
an  object  as  a  son.  I  have  the  pleasure  to  say  that  I 
have  procured  a  situation  for  Dominick,  such  as  I  think 
you  would  every  way  approve,  if  you  were  here  yourself 
— one  equally  removed  from  the  bigotry  of  a  monastic 
education,  and  the  more  uncourtly  forms  of  our  society. 
The  Academy  to  which  I  refer  was  established,  about  four 
years  ago,  by  a  number  of  our  most  respectable  gentle 
men,  for  the  education  of  their  own  children,  and  is 
conducted  by  two  French  gentlemen  of  the  name  of 
Out*. 

The  situation  of  the  school  is  high,  healthy  and  pleas 
ant,  about  four  miles  north  of  Philadelphia,  a  distance 
which  will  afford  me  an  opportunity  of  seeing  Dominick 
often,  and  of  bringing  him  home  occasionally  to  spend  a 
holiday.  Mr.  Harding  being  obliged  to  leave  this  morn 
ing  for  New  York,  Dominick  has  been  placed  under  the 
charge  of  a  respectable  old  lady,  where  I  shall  see  him 
every  day  or  two  until  his  quarantine  is  out ;  after  which 
I  shall  bring  him  home,  and,  as  soon  as  every  thing  is 
prepared,  place  him  with  Messrs.  Carre*,  who  are  men  of 
amiable  and  respectable  character,  sufficiently  rigid  to 
keep  their  boys  within  a  correct  line.  Present  my  best 
regards  to  Mrs.  Blennerhassett,  and  also  those  of  Mrs. 
L. ;  tell  her  to  dissipate  all  anxiety  about  her  son.  that 


528  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

Mrs.  L.  will  take  upon  herself  a  mother's  care,  and  that 
my  affection  for  his  parents  will  insure  my  attention  to 
his  comforts,  to  his  wants,  and  to  his  well-doing.  *  *  * 

Yours,  with  great  esteem,  J.  S.  LEWIS. 

H.  BLENNERHASSETT,  ESQ. 


From  Thomas  Addis  Emmett. 


YORK,  Sept.  15^,  1809. 

MY  DEAR  BLENNERHASSETT  :  —  It  was  not  without  con 
siderable  emotion  and  pleasure  that  I  received  yours  a 
few  days  since  by  Mr.  Harding,  and  heard  from  him  the 
first  news  I  had  been  able,  authentically,  to  collect  of 
your  present  situation.  Of  what  is  past,  it  is  not  fit  I 
should  say  any  thing  in  a  communication  of  this  kind  ; 
of  the  future,  you  will  believe  me  perfectly  sincere,  when 
I  assure  you  that  your  prosperity  and  happiness  will 
always  interest  me  very  strongly.  In  return  for  the 
pleasing  intelligence  I  have  had  of  you,  accept  similar 
accounts  of  me  and  my  family.  My  success  has  been 
greater  than  I  could  have  calculated  upon.  My  health 
has  been  extremely  good,  and  Mrs.  Emmett  and  the 
children  enjoy  the  prosperity  which  has  succeeded  to  our 
trials  ;  such,  I  trust,  will  also  be  the  event  of  your  present 
situation.  Mr.  Harding  mentioned  to  me  that  he  had 
brought  along  with  him  your  oldest  son,  Dominick,  and 
placed  him  at  an  Academy  at  Germantown,  Pennsylvania. 

As  Mrs.  Blennerhassett  has  brought  her  mind  to  part 
with  him,  a  thought  struck  me,  which  I  now  lay  before 
you.  I  have  three  sons  at  school  at  Flatbush,  Long 


FROM   FRIENDS.  529 

Island,  five  miles  from  this  city,  under  the  care  of  a  Mr. 
Thompson,  who  is  very  competent,  a  graduate  of  Trinity 
College,'  Dublin,  and  of  very  unexceptionable  character ; 
his  wife  is  a  Mary  Anne  Connell,  cousin  to  Maurice  Con- 
nell,  of  Iveragh ;  came  over  here  a  widow,  of  the  name 
of  Yielding,  with  strong  letters  from  Kerry  friends  to 
Mrs.  Emmett,  and  was  married  in  my  house  to  Mr. 
Thompson.  I  have  mentioned  your  son  to  them  both, 
and  can  answer  that  he  would  be  treated  with  more  than 
common  affection  and  care ;  and,  being  at  the  same  school 
with  my  own,  I  should  have  opportunities  of  showing 
him,  perhaps,  some  attention,  which,  situated  where  he 
is,  would  be  out  of  my  power.  I  am  not  fond  of  sup 
planting  a  person  like  his  present  master,  who,  I  presume, 
would  discharge  his  duty,  but  I  submit  the  proposition  to 
your  consideration. 

Adieu,  my  dear  Blennerhassett.     Do  you  and  Mrs.  B. 
receive  the  best  wishes  of  me  and  my  family  for  every 
thing    that    concerns    you,    and    believe    me    sincerely 
Yours.  THOS.  ADDIS  EMMETT. 


From,  Joseph  S.  Lewis. 

PHILADELPHIA,  Sept.  22d>  1810. 

MY  DEAR  FRIEND  : — About  ten  days  ago  I  received  your 
esteemed  letter  of  8th  August,  and  I  enter  with  much 
warmth  into  your  situation  and  the  means  proposed  for 
improving  it.  I  have  been  engaged,  in  my  mind,  since 
its  receipt,  to  contrive  some  way  of  meeting  your  desire 
of  obtaining  the  sum  you  want  to  borrow,  but  I  do  not 

find  any  one  here  who  is  willing  to  lend  money  on  such 
34 


530  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

distant  security ;  and  even  the  offer  of  more  than  usual 
interest  would  serve  to  introduce  in  the  mind  of  strangers 
a  doubt  of  the  goodness  of  the  security ;  and  there  are 
none  of  our  money-lenders  who  would  be  willing  to  take 
the  chance  of  being  compelled  to  go  to  Ohio  or  the  Mis 
sissippi  Territory,  to  look  after  his  payment.  I  propose, 
then,  that  after  the  sale  of  your  cotton,  which  we  hourly 
expect  from  New  Orleans,  you  should  draw,  in  addition 
to  what  our  advance  may  then  be,  as  much  as  will  make 
$5,000,  which  you  shall  have  at  six  per  cent,  interest  per 
annum.  You  are  to  consign  to  us  all  your  cotton  for 
sale,  on  which  we  shall  charge  the  usual  commission 
of  five  per  cent.  *  *  * 

Very  respectfully  your  friend,      ' *      J.  S.  LEWIS. 


From  the  Same. 

PHILADELPHIA,  Dec.  17*A,  1810. 

MY  DEAR  FRIEND: — Your  favor  of  14th  November  I 
received  yesterday,  and  am  much  pleased  to  learn  the 
happy  effect  of  my  last  letter  upon  your  uneasiness  about 
Dominick,  whom  I  have  not  seen  for  a  few  weeks,  but 
I  hear  from  him  frequently ;  and,  a  few  days  ago,  I  saw 
Mr.  Carre*,  who  said  he  was  well,  and  spoke  favorably 
of  an  increased  attention  to  his  studies.  There  is  no 
doubt  you  can  obtain  excellent  lodgings  in  the  neigh 
borhood  of  the  city,  at  a  moderate  rate,  say  five  or  six 
dollars  a  week  each,  for  Mrs.  Blennerhassett  and  yourself, 
including  board.  I  suppose  your  passages  would  cost 
$100  each ;  about  half  that  for  your  son,  and  the  same 


COTTON   TRADE.  531 

rate  for  your  servants.  I  should  think  $1,100  or  $1,200 
would  be  an  ample  allowance  for  your  expenses  for  a  trip 
of  five  or  six  months,  bating  the  temptations  such  a  large 
shop  as  our  city  would  afford  you  to  lay  out  money  for 
luxuries,  etc.,  which,  of  course,  your  own  prudence  would, 
in  some  measure,  guard  you  against.  On  the  score  of 
health  the  jaunt  would  be  desirable,  and  I  shall  be  glad 
you  make  use  of  any  excuse  to  give  Mrs.  Lewis  and 
myself  the  pleasure  of  seeing  you  and  Mrs.  Blenner- 
hassett. 

Very  respectfully  your  friend,  J.  S.  LEWIS. 


From  the  Same. 

January  6,  1811. 

I  can  not  conceive  any  reason  why  the  New  York  mar 
ket  should  offer  a  better  price  for  cotton  than  ours.  It  is 
not  quite  so  steady,  and  the  people  are  more  speculative. 
If  your  cotton  goes  there  to  our  correspondent,  we  must 
pay  his  commission,  and  we  should  not  be  quite  so  well 
satisfied  of  the  solidity  of  the  persons  to  whom  sale 
would  generally  be  made  as  here. 

Your  cotton  has  arrived,  but  I  can  not  at  present  effect 
a  sale  on  such  terms  as  I  like.  The  gloomy  prospect  of 
our  affairs  with  England  is  such,  that  we  do  not  consider 
a  speculation  in  cotton  as  safe,  and  its  value  here  will  also 
be  much  affected  by  the  proceedings  of  Congress  regard 
ing  the  Bank  of  the  United  States.  If  the  charter  should 
not  be  renewed,  and  there  seems  much  doubt  of  it,  prices 
of  every  article  will  fall  very  materially.  In  addition  to 
this,  the  situation  of  exchange  is  such,  that  bills  can  noA 


532  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

be  drawn  on  London  without  the  utmost  difficulty,  and 
then  at  a  loss  of  seven  or  eight  per  cent. 

The  proceeds  of  your  cotton  now  on  hand,  and  for 
which  at  present  there  is  no  sale,  we  estimate  at  $2,000. 
Yours  very  respectfully,  J.  S.  LEWIS. 

In  viewing  the  complacency  with  which  Blennerhas- 
sett  had  heretofore  regarded  Burr's  actions  toward  him 
self,  we  are  at  a  loss  whether  to  attribute  his  silence  to 
the  mildness  of  his  temper,  or  a  lack  of  courage  to  vin 
dicate  his  honor  from  the  aspersions  of  his  enemies. 
But,  for  his  unfortunate  alliance  with  Burr,  he  might  still 
have  reposed  in  the  shady  groves  of  the  isle.  But  for 
Burr,  he  might  have  continued  to  enjoy  those  peaceful 
pursuits  for  which  he  had  abandoned  Castle  Conway,  to 
secure  a  home  in  the  secluded  forests  of  America;  but 
for  him,  he  might  yet  have  enjoyed  a  competency  beyond 
his  wants,  and  luxuriated  in  the  fields  of  literature,  with 
out  the  fear  of  pecuniary  distress. 

It  was  not,  however,  until  driven  to  it  by  necessity,  that 
Blennerhassett  attempted  to  show  how  much  he  had 
really  been  injured  by  the  man  whom  he  had  regarded 
and  cherished  as  his  friend ;  but  who  had  now  deserted 
him  in  the  hour  of  misfortune.  Almost  bankrupt  in 
purse,  with  a  large  family  dependent  upon  him  for  sup 
port,  to  whom  could  he  look  for  indemnity  for  the  losses 
sustained  in  the  enterprise  of  Burr?  He  had  contributed 
largely,  if  not  entirely,  to  the  procuring  of  boats,  imple 
ments  and  provisions  for  the  expedition,  and,  as  yet,  had 
received  nothing  in  return.  Both  Burr  and  Alston  had 
turned  a  deaf  ear  to  his  petitions  for  relief;  indeed,  Burr, 


LETTER   TO    ALSTON.  533 

had  it  been  his  desire,  could  afford  but  poor  satisfaction 
from  the  meager  remains  of  a  once  large  fortune.  Blen- 
nerhassett,  accordingly,  addressed  the  following  letter  to 
Governor  Alston : 

Blennerhassett  to  Gov.  Alston. 

LA  CACHE,  PORT  GIBSON,  Miss.  TER., 

March  2d,  1811. 

SIR  : — As  a  letter  from  me,  after  so  long  a  suspension 
of  our  correspondence,  will  probably  be  as  little  welcome 
as  expected,  I  anticipate,  on  inditing  it,  only  such  atten 
tion  on  your  part  to  its  object  as  your  reflections  may 
deem  consonant  to  your  interest.  I  proceed  accordingly, 
without  further  preamble,  to  apprise  you,  that  having 
long  since  despaired  of  all  indemnity  from  Mr.  Burr  for 
my  losses,  by  the  confederacy  in  which  I  was  associated 
with  you  and  him,  I  count  upon  a  partial  reimbursement 
from  you  upon  grounds  and  motives  which  it  is  the  ob 
ject  of  this  letter  to  develop  and  recall  to  your  recollec 
tion.  Having  mentioned  Mr.  Burr,  I  wish  you,  sir,  to 
observe,  that  I  shall  never  more  consider  a  reference  to 
his  honor,  good  faith,  or  resources  in  any  other  light  than 
as  a  scandal  to  any  man  offering  it  who  is  not  already 
sunk  as  low  as  himself.  You  w^ill  therefore  feel,  I  hope, 
as  little  disposed  to  speak,  at  this  day,  of  his  intentions 
as  of  his  means  to  indemnify  his  friends.  It  is  on  you, 
sir,  that  as  regards  myself,  devolves  this  duty.  The 
heroic  offer  you  made  to  co-operate  with  your  person  and 
fortune  in  our  common  enterprise,  gave  you,  in  my  esti 
mation,  a  color  of  claim  to  that  succession  in  empire  you 
boasted  you  would  win  by  better  titles — your  deeds  of 


534        *   THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

merit  in  council  or  the  field.  For  examples  of  these 
exploits,  I  anxiously  invoked  the  season  of  their  achieve 
ment;  but  I  confess,  sir,  I  attached  a  more  interesting 
value  to  the  tender  you  so  nobly  pledged  of  your  whole 
property  to  forward  and  support  our  expedition,  together 
with  your  special  assurances  to  me  of  reimbursement  for 
all  contingent  losses  of  a  pecuniary  nature  I  might  indi 
vidually  suffer.  These  considerations,  sir,  as  they  in 
volved  me  on  your  responsibility,  naturally  refer  me  to 
you  for  the  acquittal  of  it,  and  possessing  such  ample 
powers  to  discharge  it,  I  flatter  myself  I  shall  be  able  to 
induce  you  to  the  full  exercise  of  them.  To  this  end  I 
now  apprise  you,  that  the  period  has  arrived  in  which  I 
feel  myself  warranted  to  tell  you,  that  in  virtue  of  your 
oral  and  written  assurances  to  guarantee  me  against  all 
injuries  to  my  property  by  reason  of  my  participation 
in  the  confederacy  of  1806,  I  finally  determined  to  em 
bark  with  you,  and  have  thereby  sustained  damage  to  the 
amount  of  $50,000,  of  which  sum  I  now  demand  $15,000, 
payable  at  New  Orleans  or  Philadelphia,  in  August  next. 
The  respective  sums  you  have  paid  already  in  part  dis 
charge  of  your  written  obligation,  I  believe,  $12,500, 
together  with  the  $15,000  now  required,  will  leave  a 
balance  of  $22,500,  which  you  may,  if  you  please,  adjust 
by  your  obligation,  on  receipt  of  which,  if  required,  I 
will  dismiss  my  demand  against  Mr.  Burr  by  suit  in 
Philadelphia. 

Here,  sir,  you  perceive  is  a  demand  instituted  on  the 
guarantee  of  the  good  faith  of  a  gentleman,  who  can 
never  plead  specially  thereto  but  out  of  a  court  of  honor. 
Within  that  jurisdiction,  he  must  acquiesce  or  rely  on  the 


REMEMBRANCERS.  535 

general  issue.  Your  adjusting  this  affair  in  the  manner 
proposed,  I  would,  at  a  certain  period  of  our  acquaint 
ance,  have  suffered  no  man  to  question ;  but  the  cruel, 
cold-blooded  indifference  with  which  you  have  so  many 
years  beheld  a  distressed  family,  in  vain  endeavoring  to 
collect  some  fragment  of  the  property  embarked  and 
wrecked  in  the  voyage  you  had  insured,  without  acquit 
ting  the  debt  of  your  guarantee — such  a  demeanor,  sir, 
naturally  obliges  me,  as  a  further  and  final  result  of  all 
my  labors  and  deliberations  that  relate  to  you  to  submit 
to  your  reflections,  other  motives  of  action  besides  those 
already  offered.  These  are  certainly  of  a  character  and 
complexion  I  regret  it  should  be  my  lot  to  exhibit  to  the 
public.  To  you,  however,  it  belongs  to  say  whether  they 
shall  remain  shrouded  within  the  sanctuary  of  your 
own  breast,  or  stalk  forth  the  heralds  of  the  private  trea 
son  and  public  perjury  they  will  proclaim  infallibly  to  the 
honest  Democratic  electors  of  South  Carolina,  who  would 
thence  remove  you  from  the  chair  of  their  assembly  with 
a  different  kind  of  zeal  from  that  through  which  they 
placed  you  in  it.  Yes,  sir,  I  submit  it  to  your  discretion, 
to  keep  concealed  from  your  friends  and  from  your  coun 
try  that  led  you  to  take  part  in  our  confederacy,  which 
you  pledged  yourself  to  me  to  back  with  all  your  prop 
erty,  worth,  as  you  stated,  200,000  guineas,  to  join  and 
support  us  at  !N~ew  Orleans,  at  the  head  of  2,000  to 
3,000  men,  to  leave  with  me,  besides  your  oral  and  writ 
ten  guarantee  of  indemnity  for  all  my  losses,  a  private 
cipher,  the  inscrutable  vehicle  of  our  correspondence ; 
afterward,  to  commit  the  shabby  treason  of  deserting  from 
your  parent  by  affinity,  and  your  sovereign  in  expectancy ; 


536  THE    BLENNERHASSETT    PAPE11S. 

and  then,  finally,  in  your  -letters  to  your  Governor,  to 
vilify  your  father-in-law,  and  perpetrate  an  open  perjury 
by  publicly  denying  all  privity  or  connection  with  his 
views  or  projects.  Assuredly,  sir,  a  picture  of  this  kind, 
on  which  I  have  occasionally  worked  during  the  last  four 
years,  can  not,  you  must  imagine,  be  viewed  by  your 
Democratic  friends  with  less  horror  than  a  death's  head 
in  a  phantasmagoria ;  and  yet,  after  all  my  labors,  I  feel 
no  wish  to  exhibit  it  to  vindicate  my  character  in  associ 
ating  with  Mr.  Burr  and  yourself  in  the  judgment  of  the 
mobility  of  the  low  people,  or  to  appease  the  impotent 
vindictiveness  of  Mr.  Jefferson  and  his  miserable  parti 
sans.  The  fact  is,  I  have  survived  all  the  labors  of  body 
and  mind  imposed  upon  me  by  the  evil  genius  of  Jeffer 
son  and  of  Burr,  except  the  remaining  one  of  exposing 
both. 

But  I  must  bequeath  to  my  children  and  friends  a 
memorial  of  that  honor,  loyalty  and  courage,  to  which 
you  and  I  made  our  first  offerings  on  entering  into  the 
association,  but  which  you  did  not  follow  with  me  in 
the  expedition ;  such  a  remembrance,  containing  sketches 
of  Mr.  Burr's  cabinet  and  correspondence  with  myself 
and  other  associates ;  the  history  of  my  interviews  and 
consultations  with  Mr.  Alston,  relative  to  Mr.  Burr's 
designs  upon  "New  Orleans  and  Mexico,  with  ample 
references  to  letters  and  other  rare  and  original  docu 
ments,  that  will  be  lodged  in  Charleston  or  Philadelphia, 
for  the  inspection  of  the  curious, — the  whole,  sir,  is  now 
ready  for  the  press,  but  shall  not  be  sent  away  for  pub 
lication  until  you  shall  have  failed  to  announce  your  com 
pliance  with  the  engagements  of  honor  herein  required 


LISTEN  I  537 

of  you,  by  forwarding  a  credit  for  $15,000,  payable  as 
before  mentioned,  and  accompanied  with  your  obligation, 
or  some  other  equivalent  proposal,  for  adjusting  the 
balance.  Now,  sir,  to  conclude,  you  may  gather  from 
what  you  have  read,  that  I  hold  myself  bound  by  no 
obligations  of  secrecy  to  any  one  who  has  broken  faith 
with  me,  provided  the  disclosure  work  no  injury  to  an 
innocent  third  person.  That  you  may  have  full  notice,  I 
have  no  objection,  in  apprising  you  of  the  nature  and 
design  of  the  proposed  publication ;  but  to  give  you  an 
opportunity  of  keeping  it  out  of  view,  by  discharging 
the  debt  of  honor  you  have  contracted,  whereby,  in  doing 
an  act  of  justice,  you  will  prevent  the  necessity  of  my 
selling  to  the  public  that  detail  of  infamy  and  falsehood 
which  you  should  exclusively  purchase;  that  your  past 
experience  of  my  principles  and  temper  will  guarantee 
the  sincerity  of  these  sentiments,  and  to  exemplify  this 
assurance,  I  promise  you,  that  whether  the  demand  I  have 
made  upon  you  be  complied  with  or  not,  I  will,  at  any 
time  after  publishing  my  book,  which  shall  be  suppressed 
or  expedited  by  your  determination,  promptly  attend  to 
any  call  you  may  think  proper  to  make  upon  me. 

I  have  to  add,  that  I  have  no  doubt  of  my  book's 
producing  $10,000,  if  you  do  not  think  proper  to  prevent 
its  appearance.  Should  you  decide  in  the  negative,  you 
may  rest  assured  I  shall  not,  to  save  the  trouble  of  smelt 
ing,  abandon  the  ore  I  have  extracted,  with  such  expense 
of  time  and  labor  from  the  mines,  both  dark  and  deep, 
not,  indeed,  of  Mexico,  but  of  Alston,  Jefferson  and  Burr. 
I  send,  besides  the  original,  a  duplicate  and  triplicate  of 
this  letter;  namely,  one  directed  to  Columbia,  one  to 


538  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

Charleston,  and  the  third  to  Georgetown.  This  is  done 
with  a  view,  by  lessening  the  chances  of  my  letters'  mis 
carrying,  to  expedite  your  answer,  for  which  I  shall  wait 
double  the  time  necessary  to  bring  it  to  me  in  the  regular 
course  of  the  mails. 

I  am,  sir,  your  most  obedient  servant, 

HARMAN  BLENNERHASSETT. 
COL.  J.  ALSTON. 

The  success  of  his  new  undertaking  animated  Blenner- 
hassett  in  the  hope  of  reclaiming  his  losses  in  a  very 
short  time.  Such,  indeed,  would  have  been  the  result 
had  not  the  war  of  1812,  and  the  embargo  which  fol 
lowed,  put  a  decided  check  to  our  commercial  transac 
tions.  Produce,  of  every  description,  immediately  fell  in 
price,  until  the  commodity  would  scarce  pay  the  expenses 
of  marketing.  A  bare  subsistence,  therefore,  was  all  he 
could  promise  himself,  until  a  termination  of  hostilities 
between  the  contending  nations. 

But  misfortunes  seldom  come  singly.  It  was  but  a 
short  time  previous  that  he  had  heard  of  the  fate  of  his 
island  residence,  rented  by  him  to  one  of  his  Belpre* 
friends,  but  who  was  afterward  dispossessed  by  the  Ken 
tucky  creditor.  As  the  beauty  of  the  grounds  had  been 
entirely  destroyed,  and  the  mansion  itself  much  injured, 
through  carelessness  and  neglect,  it  had  lost  its  primitive 
attractions,  and  was  now  regarded  as  a  mere  convenience 
in  farming.  In  the  year  1811,  the  tenant  raised  an  un 
usual  quantity  of  hemp,  which  was  stored  in  one  of  the 
wings  of  the  building.  On  a  very  cold  night,  several  of 
the  slaves,  who  had  been  permitted  to  visit  their  Virginia 


KINDNESS.  539 

friends,  overturned  the  boat  in  which  they  were  return 
ing,  and  one  of  their  number  was  drowned.  Suffering 
under  intense  cold,  they  proceeded  to  the  cellar  where 
the  spirituous  liquors  were  kept,  to  obtain  the  stimulus 
for  counteracting  the  ill  effects  of  their  accident.  Pass 
ing  through  the  entrance  of  the  hemp-room,  to  which 
the  stairway  led,  by  accident  they  communicated  the 
flame  of  the  candle  to  the  hemp,  and,  in  a  few  moments, 
the  destroying  element  was  beyond  their  control.  Stupid 
with  astonishment,  at  the  awfulness  of  the  spectacle  in 
the  darkness  of  the  night,  they  neglected  to  apprise  the 
inmates,  who  would  all  doubtless  have  perished,  had  not 
some  one  of  them  fortunately  awakened  in  time  to  give 
the  alarm.  Escaping,  with  nothing  but  their  night- 
clothes  and  a  few  articles  of  furniture,  they  beheld  with 
awe  this  beautiful  mansion,  which,  but  a  few  years  previ 
ous,  had  been  the  abode  of  peace  and  happiness,  adorned 
with  all  that  could  embellish  or  beautify  its  appearance, 
rapidly  reduced  to  a  mass  of  ruins. 


From  Joseph  S.  Lewis. 

PHILADELPHIA,  March  26th,  1811. 

DEAR  SIR: — Your  favor  of  27th  ult.  has  just  reached 
me,  and  it  affords  me  much  pleasure  in  hearing  from  you. 
It  would  be  very  gratifying  if  it  were  oftener.  I  regret 
extremely  that  you  should  be  thrown  back  by  want  of  a 
sufficient  capital  to  work  your  estate  to  the  best  advan 
tage,  and  I  should  be  extremely  happy  in  offering  you  an 
increase  of  the  credit  sometime  ago  granted  you ;  but 


540  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

even  that  credit  is  very  inconvenient,  in  consequence  of 
the  uncommon  situation  of  the  times.  Owing  to  the 
charter  of  the  United  States  Bank  having  expired,  and 
the  severance  of  our  intercourse  with  England,  a  total 
stagnation  of  "business  has  occurred,  and  we  want  all  our 
means  to  make  ourselves  comfortable,  when  our  stores 
are  overloaded  with  goods,  etc.  Your  cotton  we  have 
not  been  able  to  sell  a  bale  of,  and  our  advances  for  you, 
at  this  moment,  are  about  $8,000.  Under  all  these  cir 
cumstances  I  can  not  encourage  you  to  draw  any  further, 
but  certainly  I  will  not  dishonor  those  already  drawn, 
and  which  you  have  advised  as  payable  at  September 'and 
January  next,  and  the  one  to  Capt.  Yidal  of  $700,  rely 
ing  that  you  will,  as  early  as  possible,  send  your  cotton 
down  to  our  friends  at  New  Orleans,  with  orders  to  sell 
it,  or  send  it  round  here  as  soon  as  they  can,  as  we  may 
meet  some  chance  of  selling  it ;  and  you  may  be  assured, 
that  whenever  I  can  do  it,  I  will  extend  the  credit. 

I  hope  you  may  succeed  in  making  a  sale  of  your 
Island.  I  have  recently  heard  from,  Mr.  Woodbridge, 
who  was  in  town  a  few  days  ago,  that  your  house  on  the 
Island  was  burned  down,  and  it  happened  in  consequence 
of  Miller  having  stored  it  with  hemp,  which  took  fire 
from  a  candle  taken  in  by  a  negro  woman.  I  most 
heartily  regret  this  circumstance,  which  must  injure  the 
value  of  the  property ;  but  I  should  conceive  Miller  was 
liable  in  having  done  what  his  lease  could  not  authorize, 
making  a  storehouse  of  a  dwelling.  As  to  Alston,  there 
seems  no  chance  of  a  recovery  from  him. 

Your  letter  for  Dominick  I  will  send  to  him  ;  he  con 
tinues  in  good  health,  and  is  improving  in  his  studies. 


BUSINESS.  541 

Mrs.  L.  and  my  family  are  all  well.     I  hope  you  will  be 
able  to  make  your  arrangements  in  such  a  way  as  will 
enable  us  to  see  personally  that  you  and  Mrs.  B.  are  so 
too.     Present  my  best  respects,  and  believe  me  ever 
Yours,  Jos.  S.  LEWIS. 


PHILADELPHIA,  June  21st,  1811. 

DEAR  SIR  : — Your  favors  have  all  been  replied  to.  We 
have  not  been  able  to  dispose  of  your  cotton,  and  the 
price  is  nominally  thirteen  cents.  We  see  no  better  pros 
pect  for  what  is  to  come,  and  we  therefore  recommend 
your  sending  your  new  crop  to  Amory  Callender,  New 
Orleans,  with  orders  to  sell  it  at  once,  and  remit  us  as 
soon  as  they  can.  Our  political  affairs  do  not  promise 
us  much  amendment  in  the  article  of  cotton,  and  the 
sooner,  therefore,  it  can  be  turned  into  money  the  better. 
Dominick  is  well,  and  improves  in  his  studies  considera 
bly.  Your  cotton  here  is  still  on  hand. 

Jos.  S.  LEWIS  &  Co. 

September  7th,  1811. 

We  see  no  prospect  of  a  rise  in  the  cotton,  and  would 
willingly  sell  yours  at  twelve  cents,  if  to  be  had,  for 
there  is  no  use  in  keeping  it.  Jos.  S.  L. 

H.  BLENNERHASSETT,  ESQ. 


PHILADELPHIA,  Dec.  13th,  1811. 

DEAR  SIR  : — Your  esteemed  favor  of  19th  ult.,  dated  at 
Natchez,  reached  us  yesterday,  and  affords  us  pleasure  to 


542  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

learn  that  you  and  your  family  were  recovering  from 
your  sickness,  which  has  been  so  generally  fatal  upon  the 
Mississippi  this  year.  On  the  score  of  confidence  in  you, 
we  should  not  decline  to  accept  your  bills  for  any  reason 
able  sum,  in  addition  to  what  we  are  already  in  advance, 
but  these  are  not  times  when  we  can  do  so  without  very 
great  inconvenience.  Business  generally  is  suspended, 
and  the  usual  facilities  of  procuring  money  are  cut  off. 
In  fact,  two  years  ago,  the  advance  of  $6,000  could  not 
have  been  so  inconvenient  as  $1,000  now.  Our  advance 
now  is  about  $13,000,  and  taking  into  view  your  cotton 
here,  and  what  we  may  receive  of  your  next  crop,  the 
whole  will  not  amount  to  $3,600,  and  this  will  be  a  long 
time  first.  Under  these  circumstances,  we  have  con 
cluded  not  to  accept  your  last  bill  of  $600  to  W.  Jackson 
&  Co.,  although  the  alternative  is  extremely  painful  to 
us ;  but  as  there  seems  a  prospect  of  making  sale  to  Mr. 
Anthony,  of  your  Island,  we  shall  immediately  write  to 
him,  and  if  it  should  seem  likely  the  business  can  be  con 
cluded  in  a  reasonable  time,  we  will  take  care  that  your 
bill  shall  not  go  back.  "We  have  given  as  a  reason  for 
non-acceptance,  that  it  is  for  want  of  advice.  After 
offering  your  cotton  upon  every  occasion  for  sale,  with 
out  effect,  and  seeing  no  prospect  of  a  favorable  result  by 
keeping  it  longer,  we  have  concluded  to  ship  it  to  Liver 
pool,  and  have  put  it  on  board  the  ship  United  States, 
which  being  intended  for  your  interest,  we  have  no  doubt 
you  will  approve.  With  respect  to  the  present  crop,  we 
recommend  you  to  direct  to  Messrs.  Amory,  Callender  & 
Co.,  to  make  sale  of  it  immediately,  and  remit  at  once  to 
us,  or,  if  they  can  not  do  this,  to  lose  no  time  in  shipping 


HOPE    DAWNING.  543 

it  to  Liverpool,  consigned  to  Messrs.  Leigh  &  Shellock. 
Here,  it  will  not  sell  for  more  than  at  !N"ew  Orleans.  Our 
brother  in  New  York  sold  a  large  parcel  last  week  at  10J 
cents.  We  see  no  prospect  of  an  improvement  in  cotton 
while  the  continent  is  shut.  England  has  now  two  years 
supply  on  hand,  and  unless  this  market  is  opened  to  her 
manufactories,  cotton  will  go  down.  Dominick  is  in 
excellent  health,  and  very  contented  with  his  situation. 
With  our  best  respects  to  your  good  lady,  and  our  sincere 
regards  for  yourself,  we  remain, 

Your  friends,  Jos.  S.  LEWIS  &  Co. 

From  the  House  of  Jos.  S.  Lewis  $  Co. 

December  1st,  1811. 

Agreeably  to  our  annual  custom,  we  wait  on  you  with 
your  account  to  this  date,  showing  a  balance  in  our  favor 
of  $12,150T305(j.  We  also  inclose  you,  on  account  of  the 
charges  on  your  cotton,  which  we  have  shipped  by  the 
United  States,  amounting  to  $909Ty<j,  which  is  included  in 
the  above  balance.  We  have  no  reply  to  our  letter  to 
Mr.  J.  C.  Anthony,  concerning  the  Island. 

December  31st,  1811. 

Your  esteemed  lines  of  1st  instant  I  received  on  Sun 
day,  and  should  be  very  sorry  that  our  private  corres 
pondence  should  be  suspended  on  account  of  the  state  of 
our  mercantile  affairs.  It  is  true,  the  advance  is  particu 
larly  inconvenient  just  now,  but  I  hope  soon  to  hear  of 
your  crop  reaching  Kew  Orleans,  and  if  your  correspond 
ent  there  ship  it  at  once  to  Liverpool,  it  may  do  well,  as 


544  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

the  article  has  risen  by  the  last  accounts,  and  I  hope  we 
shipped  yours  by  the  United  States  at  a  favorable  moment. 

Jos.  S.  LEWIS. 

February  22d,  1812. 

MY  DEAR  FRIEND  : — Your  few  lines  of  llth  ult.,  accompa 
nying  a  letter  to  the  house,  lies  before  me.  ~No  circum 
stance  for  a  long  time  has  given  me  as  much  pain  as  the 
necessity  of  staying  my  hand  from  any  further  uncovered 
advances  to  you;  but  I  am  satisfied,  however  distressing 
it  may  be  to  you,  thai  you  have  correctness  of  mind  suffi 
cient  to  estimate  the  true  reason,  and  not  feel  offended  at 
the  circumstance.  Dominick  is  well,  but  has  not  been  in 
town  since  his  Christmas  holidays.  I  trust  what  the 
House  have  proposed  will  meet  your  object,  and  afford 
you  relief.  J.  S.  LEWIS. 

H.  BLENNERHASSETT,  ESQ. 


PHILADELPHIA,  Feb.  22d,  1812. 

DEAR  SIR: — Your  favor  of  llth  January  has  reached 
us  only  yesterday,  and  its  perusal  has  caused  us  some  very 
unpleasant  feelings,  in  the  reflection  of  your  situation,  as 
you  now  paint  it.  "We  would  willingly  make  any  sacri 
fice  in  reason  to  help  you,  but  the  reasons  which  induced 
the  refusal  of  your  bill  still  operate,  and  with  our  capital 
locked  up  with  you,  and  more  largely  in  other  places,  we 

have  not  the  means,  without  great  inconvenience,  to  ad- 

% 

vance  further.  The  bill  of  $600  has  gone  back,  and  is 
now  too  late  to  help  it,  or  we  would  go  that  step  further ; 
but  we  will  do  this :  Send  your  cotton  to  our  friends  at 


GOOD    ADVICE.  545 

New  Orleans,  with  orders  to  sell  the  same,  if  it  will  bring 
a  price  that  you  think  enough,  and  if  it  will  not,  to  ship 
it  immediately  to  Messrs.  Leigh  &  Shellock,  of  Liverpool, 
and  you  may,  on  its  arrival  at  New  Orleans,  draw  upon 
us  for  two-thirds  of  whatever  our  friends  say  would  prob 
ably  be  the  net  proceeds  of  the  cotton  if  sold  at  the  cur 
rent  price  at  that  time  at  New  Orleans.  This,  it  appears 
to  us,  will  relieve  you,  and,  at  the  same  time,  make  us  a 
small  payment  on  account.  Your  cotton  will  probably  net 
you  12  cents,  which,  on  40,000  Ibs.,  is  $4,800,  two-thirds 
of  which  is  $3,200,  which  is  about  the  sum  you  have 
stated  as  being  wanted  by  you  to  meet  your  debts  and 
provide  for  family  expenses.  You  have  never  mentioned 
to  us  what  quantity  of  ground  you  hold,  and  the  number 
of  your  negroes  which  would  be  a  satisfaction  to  us  to 
know,  that  in  case  of  accident  to  you,  these  would  be 
something  for  your  family,  as  well  as  for  us. 

We  have  corresponded  with  Mr.  J.  C.  Anthony,  and 
prepared  to  meet  him  at  Washington,  to  complete  the 
contract.  We  inclose  you  copies  of  his  letters  to  us,  by 
which  you  will  see  you  are  very  wide  in  your  idea  of  the 
value  of  the  Island;  we  should  think  that  money  is 
worth  more  to  you  than  any  rise  in  the  property  will  ever 
realize,  and  if  he  comes  near  your  mark,  should  accept 
the  offer. 

As  to  the  removal  of  Dominick,  on  account  of  the  cost 
of  his  education,  that  is  quite  out  of  the  question,  and  no 
more  need  be  said  on  that  business. 

It  will  afford  us  the  highest  gratification  to  learn  that 
the  plan  proposed  meets  your  view,  and  will  answer  your 
purpose. 

35 


546  THE  BLENNEHHASSETT  PAPERS. 

We  hope  for  better  times,  which  will  enable  you  to 
resume  that  feeling  of  independence  which  you  so  much 
enjoy  ;  and,  in  the  mean  time,  we  remain,  very  sincerely, 
Your  friends,  J.  S.  LEWIS  &  Co. 

H.  BLENNERHASSETT   ESQ. 

"We  are  informed,  by  his  biographer,*  that,  after  the 
trial  at  Richmond,  Colonel  Burr,  believing  that  the  polit 
ical  situation  of  Europe  afforded  opportunities  for  ac 
complishing  the  object  he  had  long  contemplated,  of 
emancipating  the  Spanish  American  colonies  from  the 
degrading  tyranny  of  Spain,  conceived  the  design  of 
soliciting  the  aid  of  some  European  government  in  such 
an  undertaking,  and  that  with  these  views  he  sailed  from 
New  York  for  England  on  the  7th  of  June,  1808. 

During  the  first  three  months  of  his  residence  in  Lon 
don,  he  made  various  unsuccessful  efforts  to  approach  the 
English  Government,  but  there  were  two  obstacles  in  the 
way,  both  of  which  were  insuperable.  The  Spaniards 
were  then  resisting  the  invasion  of  Napoleon ;  and 
the  enthusiasm  of  the  British  nation  in  favor  of  the 
Spanish  patriots,  as  well  as  the  policy  of  the  British 
Government,  were  absolutely  opposed  to  any  scheme  for 
separating  the  colonies  from  Spain.  "But,  in  addition  to 
this  obstacle,"  continues  his  biographer,  "  Colonel  Burr, 
from  the  moment  of  his  landing  in  England,  was  an 
object  of  suspicion  and  distrust  to  the  Government." 

He  afterward  visited  Edinburg,  where  he  remained  for 
several  months;  but  the  suspicions  of  the  Government 


Matthew  L.  Davis's  Memoir  of  Burr,  Vol.  II,  p.  412 


COOL    TREATMENT.  547 

becoming  daily  more  aroused,  he  was  peremptorily  or 
dered  back  to  London  by  Lord  Melville.  Here  he  was 
seized,  conveyed  to  Stafford  Place  prison,  and  his  papers 
searched.  After  an  imprisonment  of  two  days,  he  was 
set  at  large,  with  orders  to  quit  the  kingdom ;  but,  linger 
ing  for  a  few  days,  he  received  a  more  decided  mandate 
from  Lord  Liverpool  to  leave  London  on  the  following 
day,  and  the  kingdom  in  forty-eight  hours. 

In  April,  1809,  he  embarked  from  Harwich  for  Gotten- 
burgh.  On  leaving  England,  his  future  movements 
seemed  undetermined.  He  was  unwilling,  says  his  biog 
rapher,  to  renounce  the  projects  which  carried  him  to 
Europe,  and  all  hope  from  England  being  ended,  he 
looked  next  for  aid  to  Napoleon,  whose  policy,  from  the 
resistance  of  Spain  and  the  preponderancy  of  the  British 
navy,  was  now  in  favor  of  the  independence  of  the  Span 
ish  American  colonies.  He  finally  resolved  to  wait  in 
Sweden  until  he  received  advices  from  America,  and  then 
proceed  to  Paris,  to  communicate  with  the  Emperor. 
From  Sweden  he  passed  through  Germany  to  Paris,  vis 
iting  Hamburgh,  Hanover,  Saxe-Gotha,  Weimar  and 
Frankfort,  He  arrived  in  Paris  in  February,  1810. 
Here  he  made  a  long  and  unsuccessful  attempt  to  obtain 
an  audience  of  the  Emperor.  He  attributed  his  failure 
to  the  unfavorable  representations  of  Talleyrand  and  the 
United  States  Minister.  Several  months  of  neglect  and 
inattention,  at  length,  discouraged  him,  and  he  resolved 
to  return  home.  But  here  again  an  unforeseen  difficulty 
presented  itself.  On  applying  for  a  passport  to  the 
United  States,  he  was  informed  by  the  police  that  he 
could  not  have  one  to  go  out  of  the  empire.  After  four 


548  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

months'  detention,  during  which  time  he  had  exhausted 
his  entire  means,  he  addressed  a  memorial  to  Napoleon, 
praying  permission  to  return  home.  This  also  passed 
without  notice.  He  next  addressed  notes  to  Jonathan 
Russell,  American  charge  d'affaires  at  Paris,  and  Mr. 
McRae,  the  American  Consul,  for  a  certificate  of  citizen 
ship.  Russell  thus  harshly  replies :  "  The  man  who 
evades  the  offended  laws  of  his  country,abandons,  for  the 
time,  the  right  to  their  protection.  This  fugitive  from 
justice,  during  his  voluntary  exile,  has  a  claim  to  no 
other  passport  than  one  which  shall  enahle  him  to  sur 
render  himself  for  trial  for  the  offenses  with  which  he 
stands  charged  ;  such  a  passport  will  Mr.  Russell  furnish 
to  Mr.  Burr,  but  no  other." 

His  situation  seemed  one  of  almost  hopeless  despair. 
In  his  diary  of  November  25th,  1810,  he  writes:  "Noth 
ing  from  America,  and  really  I  shall  starve.  Borrowed 
three  francs  to-day.  Four  or  five  little  debts  keep  me 
constantly  in  alarm — altogether,  about  two  Louis." 

"  December  1st,  1810. — Came  in  upon  me  this  morning, 
just  as  I  was  out  of  bed,  for  twenty-seven  livres.  Paid 
him,  which  took  literally  my  last  sous.  "When  at  Denous, 
thought  I  might  as  well  go  to  Pelasgie;  set  off,  but 
recollected  I  owed  the  woman  who  sits  in  the  passage 
two  sous  for  a  cigar ;  so  turned  about  to  pursue  my  way 
by  Pont  des  Arts,  which  was  within  fifty  paces ;  remem 
bered  I  had  not  wherewith  to  pay  the  toll,  being  one 
sous ;  had  to  go  all  the  way  round  by  the  Pont  Royal, 
more  than  half  a  mile."  * 


*  Davis's  Memoirs  of  Burr,  Vol.  II,  pp.  423-4. 


CORRESPONDENCE.  549 

At  length,  in  July,  1811,  a  ship  being  about  to  sail,  in 
ballast,  he  received  permission  to  return.  He  arrived  at 
Amsterdam  in  August,  and,  after  a  delay  of  a  month, 
embarked  for  the  United  States  ;  but  the  vessel  in  which 
he  sailed  was  captured  by  an  English  frigate  and  carried 
into  Yarmouth.  The  Vigilant,  for  such  was  its  name, 
and  the  effects  of  her  passengers  were  taken  possession 
of  by  the  Government  ;  and  as  Burr  had  paid  for  his 
passage,  and  was  reduced  in  funds,  he  found  it  necessary 
to  remain  for  a  time  in  England.  Finally,  on  the  6th  of 
March,  1812,  he  sailed  in  the  ship  Aurora,  and  arrived  in 
New  York  in  June,  1812,  just  four  years  after  his  depart 
ure  from  America. 

Blennerhassett  having  instituted  proceedings  against 
him  at  New  Orleans,  during  his  absence,  to  recover  some 
securities  which  had  been  pronounced  available,  and, 
learning  of  his  arrival,  addressed  him  a  communication 
upon  the  subject,  when  the  following  correspondence 
occurred  : 


YORK,  March  Sth,  1813. 

SIR  :  —  Your  letter  of  the  24th  January  has  been  some 
days  in  my  hands,  and  I  have  been  searching  but  in  vain 
for  something  to  enlighten  me  as  to  the  nature  of  the 
action  which  you  would  propose  to  bring  against  Wilkins, 
etc.  No  objection,  however,  occurs  to  me  against  making 
the  assignment  you  ask.  When  you  shall  inform  me  of 
the  grounds  of  the  proposed  suit,  if  they  shall  appear  to 
me  to  be  well  founded,  and  not  calculated  to  produce  a 
reaction  on  myself,  it  is  probable  I  may  accede  to  your 


550  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

wishes  without  delay,  not,  however,  with  any  reservation 
of  an  interest  as  you  have  proposed. 

I  am,  sir,  your  obedient,  A.  BURR. 


To  Aaron  Burr.* 

LA  CACHE,  PORT  GIBSON,  April  16^A,  1813. 

SIR  : — Perceiving  you  seem  disposed  to  assign  to  me 
your  interest  in  the  contract  you  entered  into  with  Wil- 
kins  and  Morrison,  in  180G,  provided  "I  can  enlighten 
you  as  to  the  nature  of  the  action  I  would  bring  against 
them,"  I  hasten  to  acquaint  you  that  I  should  prefer 
suing  them  directly,  in  the  character  of  your  assignees, 
for  the  amount  of  the  advance  you  made  to  them,  in  bills 
rendered  negotiable  by  my  indorsement,  to  the  contingent 
recovery  I  might  obtain  against  them  as  garnishees  in  a 
suit  already  instituted  at  New  Orleans. 

Copies  of  the  contract,  and  of  the  receipt  of  "Wilkins 
and  Morrison  for  $15,000,  in  bills,  shall  be  forwarded  to 
you,  and  if  you  think  proper,  without  delay,  to  transmit 
me  a  properly  authenticated  assignment  of  all  your 
claims  for  the  above  advance,  and  for  damages  on  account 
of  the  non-fulfillment  of  the  contract,  I  will  order  the 
present  suit  commenced  against  you  at  New  Orleans  to 
be  dismissed.  As  your  letter  of  the  8th  ult.  appears  to 
have  been  dictated  by  a  spirit  of  accommodation,  permit 
me  now,  sir,  to  test  its  character  by  suggesting  that  I 
have  no  view  "  to  reaction  "  upon  you  in  whatever  opera 
tions  I  may  essay  to  obtain  some  indemnity  for  my  losses. 
These,  Governor  Alston  may  have  stated  to  you,  I  esti 
mate  at  $50,000,  of  which  his  Excellency  has  already 


THREATS.  551 

reimbursed,  I  believe,  $12,500,  and  it  is  very  probable 
nothing  short  of  the  publication  of  my  book,  hitherto 
postponed  only  by  sickness,  will  bring  me  any  part  of 
the  balance  so  long  sought  in  vain  from  his  honor  and 
engagements.  His  well-earned  election  to  the  chief  ex 
ecutive  office  of  his  State,  and  your  return  from  Europe, 
will,  however,  now  render  the  publication  more  effective 
than  it  would  have  been  prior  to  these  events,  and  it  will 
be  expedited  within  three  months  from  this  date,  if  all 
other  means  of  indemnity  fail  within  that  period.  I 
would  still  agree  to  accept  from  any  other  source  $15,000, 
in  lieu  of  the  balance  I  claim  of  $37,500,  and,  of  course, 
withhold  the  book,  which  is  entitled,  "  A  Review  of  the 
Projects  and  Intrigues  of  Aaron  Burr,  during  the  years 
1805-6-7,  including  therein,  as  parties  or  privies,  Thos. 
Jefferson,  Albert  Gallatin,  Dr.  Eustis,  Gov.  Alston,  Dan. 
Clark,  Generals  Wilkinson,  Dearborn,  Harrison,  Jackson 

and  Smith,  and  the  late  Spanish  Ambassador, , 

exhibiting  original  documents  and  correspondence  hith 
erto  unpublished,  compiled  from  the  notes  and  private 
Journal,  kept  during  the  above  period ;  by  H.  Blenner- 
hassett,  LL.  B  ; "  with  this  motto,  which  will  find  appli 
cability  in  every  page  of  the  book :  "  It  is  only  the  Phi 
losopher  who  knows  how  to  mark  the  boundary  between 
celebrity  and  greatness." 

You  will  now,  sir,  I  hope,  perceive  distinctly  upon 
what  terms  I  would  execute  a  general  acquittance  to 
Gov.  Alston  and  yourself.  I  have  long  since  abandoned 
every  chance  of  reimbursement  from  either  of  you,  un 
less  I  should  succeed  in  forcing  the  object  through  the 


552  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

alarms  of  his  Excellency,  or  the  fears  and  interest  of  other 
characters.  I  have  only  to  add,  respecting  those  of  Wil- 
kins  and  Morrison,  who  have  pocketed  the  money  with 
out  a  consideration,  that  as  an  action  would  not  lie  by 
me  against  them,  the  credit  having  moved  from  you  to 
them,  after  it  had  passed  from  me  to  you,  it  is  therefore 
I  have  applied  for  the  assignment  desired,  which  would 
enable  me  to  sue  them  directly,  which  I  should  prefer  to 
continuing  the  suit  now  pending  against  yourself.  Be 
pleased,  sir,  to  inform  me  whether  Gen.  Jackson  is  or  is 
not  indebted  to  you  in  a  balance  of  $l,726TVu,  as  is  stated 
on  the  face  of  an  open  account  in  his  own  hand-writing. 
While  he  was  here  with  his  militia,  I  had  him  summoned 
as  a  garnishee  to  the  Circuit  Court  of  Adams  county, 
where  having  made  default,  if  he  does  not  personally  ap 
pear  at  the  next  October  term,  I  understand  judgment 
will  go  against  him  for  $5,000,  that  being  the  sum  sworn 
to  in  the  affidavit  on  which  the  attachment  was  issued. 
From,  sir,  your  obedient  servant, 

H.  BLENNERHASSETT. 


From  Mr.  Emmett. 

FEW  YORK,  August  24th,  1815. 

DEAR  BLENNERHASSETT  : — I  hope,  and  am  willing  to 
believe,  that  a  letter.  I  wrote  you  now  some  four  or  five 
years  since,  and  which  remains  unanswered,  was  never 
received  by  you.  It  was  directed  in  the  same  way  as 
this,  and  the  uncertainty  of  its  fate  makes  me  wish  I 
knew  a  more  safe  and  sure  direction.  I  can  not,  how- 


T.    A.    EMMETT.  553 

ever,  permit  the  inclosed,*  which  I  have  recently  received 
from  Ireland,  to  go  forward  without  accompanying  it  by 
a  few  words  from  myself. 

Mr.  Berwick  has  written  to  me  also,  and  so  far  as  I  can 
judge,  considering  your  situation,  and  the  almost  impos 
sibility  of  your  pursuing  your  claim,  I  think  the  proposal 
contained  in  his  letter  very  advantageous.  It  is  very  sel 
dom  that  an  opportunity  occurs  here  of  learning  any  par 
ticulars  respecting  individuals  in  your  part  of  the  world ; 
but  I  have  been  led  to  hope  that  you  have  found  it  pleas 
ant  and  profitable  to  yourself  and  family ;  and  I  assure 
you  few  persons  would  more  rejoice  at  your  prosperity 
than  myself. 

Mrs.  Emmett  presents  her  best  compliments  to  you, 
and  joins  in  sincere  regards  with,  dear  Blennerhassett, 
Yours  affectionately,  THOS.  ADDIS  EMMETT. 


*  The  letter  inclosed  by  Mr.  Emmett,  was  from  Mr.  Berwick,  a  solicitor 
in  Dublin,  who  was  engaged  to  collect  information  respecting  a  property 
in  Ireland,  called  the  Bawn  estate,  to  which  Blennerhassett  was  entitled 
in  right  of  his  descent  from  the  Harman  family. 


554  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 


CHAPTER   XV. 

MOST,  if  not  all,  of  the  characters  involved  in  the  en 
terprise  of  Burr  have  passed  from  the  theater  of  life ; 
their  acts  are  left  to  the  anxious  scrutiny  of  an  impartial 
posterity.  The  sanctity  of  the  sepulcher  should  cover 
their  remains  with  the  mantle  of  charity.  But  an  ac 
count  of  the  origin,  and  a  relation  of  the  circumstances 
attending  the  event,  may  not  be  unacceptable  to  the 
readers  of  the  present  day,  and  will  prove  a  theme  of 
historical  interest  to  those  who  follow  us. 

The  disaffection  which  had  existed  in  the  West,  al 
though  greatly  diminished  by  the  failure  of  the  designs 
of  the  French  minister,  had  never  been  entirely  recon 
ciled.  The  zeal  of  the  Spanish  emissaries  received  but  a 
temporary  check  in  the  abortive  attempt  of  Wilkinson 
and  Miro.  Wilkinson  was  yet  a  pensioner  of  Spain,  and 
an  officer  of  rank  in  the  American  army.  Miro  had  been 
gratified  in  his  long-cherished  wish  to  return  to  the 
mother  country,  and  the  Baron  de  Carondelet  had  suc 
ceeded  to  the  government. 

In  the  year  1795,  Governor  Gayoso  ascended  the  Mis 
sissippi  with  a  detachment  of  the  King's  troops,  destined 
to  erect  and  garrison  the  fort  of  San  Fernando  de  las 
Barancas.  Thence  he  proceeded  to  "New  Madrid,  and 
held  an  interview  with  Don  Thomas  Portell  relative  to 


PLANS.  555 

the  affairs  of  the  western  country.  It  was  resolved 
to  send  Thomas  Power  with  important  dispatches  to 
General  Wilkinson.  Power  had  twice  before  been  in 
trusted  with  similar  important  missions.  In  1794,  he  had 
penetrated  Kentucky  as  a  Spanish  spy  on  the  movements 
of  Genet,  and  had  also  accompanied  the  captive  Span 
iards,  who  had  robbed  and  murdered  Owen,  the  bearer 
of  six  thousand  dollars  from  the  Spanish  Government  to 
Wilkinson,  it  being  the  pension  granted  by  the  Court  at 
Madrid  to  him  and  other  Spanish-American  emissaries  in 
Kentucky. 

Power  proceeded  up  the  river  in  a  pirogue,  as  far  as 
Red  Banks,  whence  he  diverged  across  the  country  to 
Cincinnati,  and,  after  numerous  delays,  occasioned  by 
sickness,  reached  Lexington  on  the  8th  of  October.  Here 
he  found  Wilkinson,  to  whom  he  delivered  his  dispatches 
and  the  verbal  messages  which  had  not  been  committed 
to  writing.  As  yet,  Power  had  been  but  partially  admit 
ted  to  the  secret,  but  Wilkinson  now  disclosed  the  whole 
design,  which  embraced  a  separation  of  the  Western 
from  the  Eastern  States. 

As  a  means  of  effecting  this,  among  other  plans,  it  was 
proposed  that  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio  should  be  formida 
bly  fortified ;  that  the  works  to  be  erected  should  be  of 
sufficient  strength  to  arrest  the  progress  of  an  army  for 
an  entire  campaign ;  that  in  its  construction  Kentuckians 
only  were  to  be  employed — this,  it  was  presumed,  would 
dissipate  national  prejudices  and  patronize  the  citizens  of 
the  respective  governments.  The  manufacture  of  neces 
sary  ordnance  was  to  be  carried  on  in  the  district  of 
Kentucky.  The  establishment  of  a  bank,  with  a  capital 


556  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

of  one  million  of  dollars,  the  directors  of  which  were  to 
be  chosen  from  the  most  distinguished  and  leading  men 
of  the  country,  was  expected  to  wield  an  irresistible  influ 
ence  over  the  public  councils  and  private  sentiments  of 
the  Territory.  Money  was  to  be  conveyed  by  packing  it 
in  barrels  of  coffee  or  sugar,  unknown  to  the  parties 
transporting  it,  and  effectually  concealing  it  from  public 
observation.  Under  no  circumstances  was  the  fort  of 
San  Fernando  to  be  surrendered  by  Spain,  as  such  an  act 
would  lessen  her  importance  and  invite  the  rapacity  of 
the  American  Government.  As  the  seeds  of  approaching 
rupture  had  already  been  sown,  it  was  important  that 
additional  fortifications  should  be  erected,  and  an  in 
creased  number  of  Spanish  agents  distributed  through 
the  disaffected  districts,  with  a  sufficiency  of  funds  for 
any  and  every  emergency.  General  Clark  and  his  ad 
herents,  who  were  involved  in  the  intrigues  of  the  French 
and  in  the  pay  of  the  French  Republic,  were  to  be  trans 
ferred  to  the  service  of  Spain,  with  promises  of  greater 
emoluments,  and  equal  participation  in  benefits.  New 
Madrid  was  designated  as  a  depositary  for  the  munitions 
of  war,  of  which  an  adequate  supply  was  to  be  kept 
always  on  hand. 

Power  was  directed  by  Wilkinson  to  proceed  to  the 
French  settlement,  at  Gallipolis,  to  sound  the  disposition 
of  the  people,  who,  it  was  conjectured,  were  favorable  to 
the  measure,  and  were  willing  to  proclaim  their  inde 
pendence  whenever,  by  concert  of  action,  on  the  part  of 
other  districts,  the  act  should  be  deemed  available.  From 
thence  he  was  to  proceed  to  Red  Bank,  where  he  should 
meet  Sebastian,  Innis,  Murray  and  Nicholas,  whom  he 


HOSPITALITY.  557 

was  to  convey  to  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio,  where  Gayoso 
was  in  waiting  to  receive  them. 

Having  performed  this  mission,  Power  again  reached 
New  Madrid,  where,  purchasing  a  pirogue  for  the  accom 
modation  of  his  companions,  toward  the  beginning  of 
December,  he  set  off  for  the  Red  Banks. 

On  his  arrival  he  found  Sebastian  only,  as  Innis  had 
been  detained  at  home  through  indisposition ;  Nicholas, 
through  fear  that  his  absence  from  court  might  occasion 
suspicion ;  and  Murray,  in  consequence  of  his  habits  of 
dissipation,  rendering  him  incompetent  for  business. 
Sebastian  had  already  engaged  a  passage  in  a  flat-boat, 
and  the  two  set  out  for  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio.  Here 
they  found  Gayoso  encamped  on  the  opposite  bank  of 
the  river,  where  he  had  been  amusing  himself  in  con 
structing  a  small  triangular  fort,  more  for  the  purpose 
of  eluding  suspicion  than  from  any  necessity  the  occasion 
demanded.  "Wilkinson's  dispatch,  in  cipher,  was  delivered 
by  Power  to  Gayoso  ;  a  conference  between  Sebastian  and 
himself  was  held ;  and,  after  a  detention  of  several  days 
by  rain,  the  whole  party  descended  to  Natchez,  where 
they  were  hospitably  entertained  by  Gayoso  at  the  Gov 
ernment  House. 

Sebastian  had  been  invested  with  plenary  powers  to 
co-operate  with  Gayoso  in  perfecting  the  plans  of  Wil 
kinson  and  his  Spanish  associates.  Power  proceeded  in 
advance  to  New  Orleans,  whither  he  was  soon  followed 
by  the  Governor  and  Sebastian. 

The  succeeding  spring,  the  latter,  accompanied  by 
Power,  sailed  for  Philadelphia,  to  reconnoiter  the  route 
across  the  Alleganies.  Proceeding  as  far  as  Shippens- 


558  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

burg,  they  placed  their  baggage  in  a  wagon,  and  con 
tinued  their  journey  to  Red  Stone  on  foot.  Here  they 
embarked  in  a  flat,  bound  to  Cincinnati,  where  they 
arrived  about  the  middle  of  May.  At  this  point  the  two 
separated,  Sebastian  descending  to  Louisville  and  Power 
proceeding  to  Greenville,  then  the  head-quarters  of  Wil 
kinson. 

Wilkinson  had  but  recently  learned  of  the  arrival,  at 
New  Madrid,  of  a  large  sum  of  money,  forwarded  from 
the  authorities  in  Louisiana,  and  requested  Power  to  pro 
ceed  immediately  thither,  and  have  the  same  safely 
delivered  in  Kentucky.  Power,  having  satisfactorily 
performed  the  mission,  by  delivering  it  to  Philip  Nolan, 
the  accredited  agent  of  the  General,  returned  to  New 
Orleans.  * 

But  Power  was  not  destined  long  to  remain  inactive. 
He  had  proven  himself  an  adroit  and  energetic  agent, 
and  stood  high  in  the  estimation  of  the  Spanish  Govern 
ment.  In  1797,  he  was  again  intrusted  with  a  similar 
mission  to  Kentucky.  Among  others,  he  presented  his 
scheme  to  George  Nichols,  an  attorney  at  Lexington, 
who,  Wilkinson  had  informed  him,  was  favorable  to 
Spanish  interest.  But  no  sooner  had  he  disclosed  his 
designs  than  Nichols  rebuked  him  for  his  impertinence, 
and  spurned  the  idea  of  receiving  foreign  gold.  Power, 
finding  but  little  encouragement  in  Kentucky,  sought  an 
interview  with  Wilkinson,  then  at  Detroit.  He  was 
received  by  the  General  with  cold  civility;  nay,  with 
haughty  abruptness.  This  was  in  public.  In  private  he 

*  Wilkinson's  Memoirs,  Vol.  II,  Appendix  No.  45. 


INSTRUCTIONS.  559 

whispered,  "  we  are  both  lost,  without  being  able  to  de 
rive  any  advantage  from  your  journey."  Eumor  had 
connected  him  with  the  Spanish  intrigue.  Power  was 
known  as  a  Spanish  spy,  and  Wilkinson  had  been  often 
observed  in  conference  with  him.  His  complicity  with 
the  authorities  of  Louisiana  had  been  the  subject  of  a 
communication  from  Wayne  to  Washington;  and  Elli- 
cott,  the  commissioner,  was  instructed  to  watch  him. 
Through  the  medium  of  a  person  in  the  service  of  the 
Governor-General,  Ellicott  had  learned  of  the  mission  of 
Power,  and  of  the  instructions  with  which  he  was 
charged.  As  they  disclose  a  plan  similar,  in  many  re 
spects,  to  that  of  Burr,  and  as  there  is  now  but  little 
doubt  that  it  was,  at  least,  suggestive,  it  is  here  inserted 
for  future  illustration.  After  stating  the  ostensible  object 
of  his  visit  to  be  the  adjustment  of  the  difficulties  and 
securing  the  delay  of  the  Spanish  Government,  in  sur 
rendering  to  the  United  States  of  the  forts  of  Walnut 
Hills  and  Natchez,  under  the  second  article  of  the  treaty, 
of  which  fortifications  Wilkinson  had  previously  advised 
the  Baron  de  Carondolet  he  was  preparing  to  take  forci 
ble  possession,  the  instructions  proceed : 

"  The  second  object  of  your  commission,  which  no  one 
must  penetrate,  and  for  which  reason  you  must  retain  in 
your  memory,  is  to  sound  and  examine  the  disposition  of 
the  people  of  the  Western  States,  whose  militia,  it  is 
reported  to  me,  has  received  orders  to  march  on  the 
first  advice  ;  and,  in  case  that  be  true,  you  will  inform  the 
commandant  of  New  Madrid  of  it,  by  the  first  oppor 
tunity  you  find.  But,  in  order  not  to  render  yourself 
suspected,  you  will  content  yourself  with  putting  the 


560  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

date  of  your  letter  at  the  bottom,  and  will  only  treat  of 
indifferent  subjects.  If  hostile  preparations  are  making, 
yon  will  put  before  your  signature  a  stroke  like  that 
which  freemasons  use,  and  which  you  see  at  the  bottom 
of  this  letter ;  the  number  of  dots  above  will  designate 
that  of  thousand  men,  and  that  below,  the  hundreds  of 
which  this  expedition  is  to  be  composed.  You  will  point 
out  the  number  of  pieces  of  artillery  by  a  number  of 
points  placed  in  your  nourish,  according  to  your  custom, 
the  points  on  the  left  signifying  tens,  and  those  on  the 
right  units.  This  letter  will  be  immediately  sent  me  by 
the  commandant  of  New  Madrid,  in  consequence  of  the 
orders  I  shall  give  him.  On  your  journey,  you  will  give 
to  understand  adroitly,  to  those  persons  to  whom  you 
will  have  an  opportunity  of  speaking,  that  the  delivery 
of  the  posts,  which  the  Spaniards  occupy  on  the  Missis 
sippi,  to  the  troops  of  the  United  States,  is  directly  op 
posed  to  the  interests  of  those  on  the  West,  who,  as  they 
must  one  day  separate  from  the  Atlantic  States,  would 
find  themselves  without  any  communication  with  Lower 
Louisiana,  from  whence  they  ought  to  expect  to  re 
ceive  powerful  succor  in  artillery,  arms,  ammunition  and 
money,  either  publicly  or  secretly,  as  soon  as  ever  the 
Western  States  shall  determine  on  a  separation,  which 
must  insure  their  prosperity  and  their  independence ;  that 
for  this  same  reason,  Congress  is  resolved  on  risking 
every  thing  to  take  these  posts  from  Spain ;  and  that  it 
would  be  forging  fetters  for  themselves  to  furnish  it  with 
militia  and  means  which  it  can  only  find  in  the  Western 
States.  These  same  reasons  diffused  abroad,  by  means 
of  the  public  papers,  might  make  the  strongest  impres- 


ANTICIPATIONS.  561 

sion  on  the  people,  and  induce  them  to  throw  off  the 
yoke  of  the  Atlantic  States  ;  but,  at  the  very  least,  if  we 
are  able  to  dissuade  them  from  taking  part  in  this  expe 
dition,  I  doubt  whether  the  States  could  give  law  to  us, 
with  such  troops  alone  as  they  have  now  on  foot. 

"  If  a  hundred  thousand  dollars,  distributed  in  Ken 
tucky,  could  cause  it  to  rise  in  insurrection,  I  am  very 
certain  that  the  minister,  in  the  present  circumstances, 
would  sacrifice  them  with  pleasure ;  and  you  may,  with 
out  exposing  yourself  too  much,  promise  them  to  those 
who  enjoy  the  confidence  of  the  people,  with  another 
equal  sum  to  arm  them,  in  case  of  necessity,  and  twenty 
pieces  of  field  artillery.  You  will  arrive  without  danger, 
as  bearer  of  dispatches  for  the  General,  where  the  army 
may  be,  whose  force,  discipline  and  dispositions  you  will 
examine  with  care ;  and  you  will  endeavor  to  discover, 
with  your  natural  penetration,  the  General's  disposition. 
I  doubt  that  a  person  of  his  character  would  prefer,, 
through  vanity,  the  advantage  of  commanding  the  army 
of  the  Atlantic  States  to  that  of  being  the  founder,  the 
liberator,  in  fine,  the  Washington,  of  the  Western  States. 
His  part  is  as  brilliant  as  it  is  easy.  All  eyes  are  drawn 
toward  him.  He  possesses  the  confidence  of  his  fellow- 
citizens  and  of  the  Kentucky  volunteers.  At  the  slight 
est  movement  the  people  will  name  him  the  General  of 
the  New  Republic ;  his  reputation  will  raise  an  army  for 
him,  and  Spain,  as  well  as  France,  will  furnish  him  the 
means  of  paying  it.  On  taking  Fort  Massac,  we  will 
send  him,  instantly,  arms  and  artillery;  and  Spain,  limit 
ing  herself  to  the  possession  of  the  forts  of  Natchez  and 
Walnut  Hills,  as  far  as  Fort  Confederation,  will  cede  to 
36 


562  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

the  Western  States  all  the  eastern  bank  to  the  Ohio, 
which  will  form  a  very  extensive  and  powerful  republic, 
connected  by  its  situation  and  by  its  interest  with  Spain, 
which,  in  concert  with  it,  will  force  the  savages  to  become 
a  party  to  it,  and  to  confound  themselves  in  time  with  its 
citizens.  The  public  is  disconcerted  with  the  new  taxes ; 
Spain  and  France  are  enraged  at  the  connections  of  the 
United  States  with  England ;  the  army  is  weak  and  de 
voted  to  Wilkinson ;  the  threats  of  Congress  authorize 
me  to  succor,  on  the  spot  and  openly,  the  Western  States ; 
money  will  not  then  be  wanting  to  me,  for  I  shall  send, 
without  delay,  a  ship  to  Yera  Cruz  in  search  of  it,  as 
well  as  of  ammunition.  Nothing  more  will  consequently 
be  required  but  an  instant  of  firmness  and  resolution  to 
make  the  people  of  the  West  perfectly  happy.  If  they 
suffer  this  instant  to  escape  them,  and  that  we  should  be 
forced  to  deliver  up  the  posts,  Kentucky  and  Tennessee, 
surrounded  by  the  said  posts,  and  without  communica 
tion  with  Lower  Louisiana,  will  ever  remain  under  the 
oppression  of  the  Atlantic  States. 

"  If  you  represent  forcibly  these  reasons  to  Wilkinson, 
Sebastian,  La  Casagne,  etc.,  and  if  you  diffuse  these  no 
tions  among  the  people,  gaining  by  promises,  which  shall 
be  fully  realized,  the  best  writers,  as  Breckenridge  and 
others,  you  will  be  able  to  effect  the  most  fortunate  and 
most  glorious  commotion ;  you  will  cover  yourself  with 
glory,  and  you  may  expect  the  most  brilliant  fortune ;  if, 
on  the  contrary,  you  should  fail  in  this  commission,  it 
will  not  deprive  me  of  the  opportunity  of  obtaining  for 
you,  from  the  minister,  an  appointment  which  will  render 
you  independent  of  hatred  or  jealousy." 


RECEDING.  563 

When  Wilkinson,  therefore,  found  himself  publicly 
approached  by  Power,  he  conceived  it  prudent  to  dissem 
ble,  to  cast  from  himself  any  suspicions  which  this  visit 
of  Power  might  have  occasioned.  Hence  he  informed 
him  that  the  Executive  had  given  orders  to  the  Governor 
of  the  North- West  Territory  to  arrest  him,  and  send  him 
to  Philadelphia;  that  there  was  no  other  resource  of 
escape  but  by  permitting  himself  to  be  conducted  under 
guard  to  Fort  Massac,  and  from  thence  to  New  Madrid. 
With  reference  to  the  Baron's  instructions  he  said,  that 
the  project  was  chimerical ;  that  the  inhabitants  of  the 
Western  States,  having  obtained  by  treaty  all  they  de 
sired,  would  not  wish  to  form  any  other  political  or  com 
mercial  alliances  ;  that  they  had  no  motive  for  separating 
themselves  from  the  interests  of  the  other  states  of  the 
Union,  even  if  France  and  Spain  should  make  them  the 
most  advantageous  offers ;  that  the  fermentation  which 
had  existed  four  years  back  was  then  appeased ;  that  the 
depredations  and  vexations  which  American  commerce 
suffered  from  the  French  privateers  had  inspired  them 
with  an  implacable  hatred  for  their  nation ;  that  some 
of  the  Kentuckians  had  proposed  to  him  to  raise  three 
thousand  men  to  invade  Louisiana,  in  case  war  should  be 
declared  between  the  United  States  and  Spain ;  that  the 
latter  had  no  other  course  to  pursue,  under  the  circum 
stances,  but  comply  with  the  recent  treat}'  which  he  de 
clared  had  overturned  all  his  plans,  and  rendered  useless 
the  labors  of  more  than  ten  years.  As  for  himself  he 
had  destroyed  his  ciphers,  and  burned  his  correspondence 
with  the  Spanish  Government ;  that  duty  and  honor  did 
not  permit  him  to  continue  it,  and  that  the  Governor  of 


564  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

Louisiana  ought  not  to  be  apprehensive  of  his  abusing 
the  confidence  which  he  had  placed  in  him.  He  added, 
that  Spain,  by  delivering  up  to  the  United  States  the  ter 
ritory  of  Natchez,  might,  perhaps,  name  him  governor 
of  it,  and  that  then  he  would  not  want  opportunities  to 
take  more  effectual  measures  to  comply  with  his  political 
projects.* 

These  facts  disclose  the  continued  complicity  of  Wil 
kinson  with  the  Spanish  Government,  long  after  his  ap 
pointment  as  Brigadier-General  of  the  American  forces 
in  the  West,  and  at  and  after  the  death  of  Wayne,  upon 
which  event  he  became  Commander-in-chief. 

A  descent  upon  Mexico,  on  the  part  of  many  of  the 
Spanish  American  settlers,  was  a  subject  of  secret  agita 
tion,  during  a  period  of  years  prior  to  the  cession  of 
Louisiana  to  France.  "  The  emigration  from  the  west 
ern  part  of  the  United  States,"  writes  Don  Luis  de  Pefi- 
alvert  y  Cardenas,  Bishop  of  Louisiana,  in  1799,  "  and 
the  toleration  of  our  government,  have  introduced  into 
this  colony  a  gang  of  adventurers  who  have  no  religion, 
and  acknowledge  no  God.  They  have  made  much  worse 
the  morals  of  our  people,  by  their  coming  in  contact  with 
their  trading  pursuits." 

"  The  adventurers  I  speak  of  have  scattered  themselves 
over  the  districts  of  Attakapas,  Opelousas,  Ouachita  and 
Natchitoches,  in  the  vicinity  of  the  province  of  Texas,  in 
New  Spain ;  they  employ  the  Indians  on  their  farms, 
have  frequent  intercourse  and  conversation  with  them, 
and  impress  their  minds  with  pernicious  maxims,  in  har- 

*  Wilkinson's  Memoirs,  Vol.  II,  p.  54. 


PRECAUTIONS.  565 

mony  with  their  own  restless  and  ambitious  temper,  and 
with  the  customs  of  their  own  western  countrymen,  who 
are  in  the  habit  of  saying  to  such  of  their  boys  as  are 
distinguished  for  a  robust  frame,  while  patting  them  on 
the  shoulder,  '  you  will  be  the  man  to  go  to  Mexico.'  "* 

Since  the  year  1785,  the  United  States  had  aimed  at 
taking  possession  of  Natchez  and  all  the  Territory  which 
had  been  assigned  to  them  by  the  treaty  of  1783.  Spain 
had  persistently  opposed  the  measure,  and,  through  her 
emissaries  in  the  western  provinces  of  the  Union,  and  her 
protracted  negotiations,  had  succeeded  in  suspending  the 
hostilities  with  which  she  was  afterward  threatened. 
Until  the  year  1797,  she  successfully  eluded  the  claims 
of  the  American  Government,  when  she  was  compelled 
to  accede  to  its  demands,  in  order  not  to  expose  herself 
to  the  loss  of  the  whole  of  Louisiana. 

As  the  Americans  had  now  become  in  possession  of 
the  new  frontiers,  it  became  more  than  ever  urgent  to 
secure  to  the  Spanish  Government  an  effectual  barrier 
for  the  protection  of  Mexico.  There  were  two  ways  sug 
gested  by  which  this  object  was  to  be  accomplished ;  f 
first,  to  establish  in  Louisiana  a  population  sufficiently 
large  to  defend  her  against  any  aggression ;  second,  to 
form  a  union  with  Kentucky  and  the  other  districts  of 
the  West,  with  the  obligation,  on  their  part,  to  serve  as  a 
rampart  against  the  United  States. 


*  Gayarre's  Hist.  Louisiana,  Vol.  Ill,  p.  408. 

f  M.  de  Pontalba  to  the  First  Consul  of  the  French  Republic. — Gayarre, 
VoL  III,  p.  410. 


566  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

In  a  memoir  addressed  to  the  First  Consul  of  France, 
by  M.  de  Pontalba,  who  had  been  directed  to  collect  in 
formation  on  the  resources  of  Louisiana,  he  says :  "  All 
this  proves  that  the  only  commercial  outlet  for  their  pro 
duce  is  the  Mississippi ;  that  Louisiana  can  never  cease  to 
be  the  object  of  their  ambition,  as  they  depend  on  her  in 
the  most  absolute  manner ;  that  their  position,  the  num 
ber  of  their  population,  and  their  other  means,  will  ena 
ble  them  to  invade  this  province  whenever  they  may 
choose  to  do  so ;  and  that,  to  preserve  her,  it  is  necessary 
to  conciliate  and  control  them  by  keeping  up  intelligences 
with  the  most  influential  men  among  them,  and  to  grant 
them  privileges  until  this  province  be  sufficiently  strong 
to  defend  herself  with  her  own  resources  against  the  tor 
rent  which  threatens  her.  Should  its  waters  be  let  loose, 
there  is  no  doubt  but  that  they  would  sweep  every  thing 
on  their  passage ;  for  the  Kentuckians,  single-handed,  or 
allied  with  the  inhabitants  of  the  neighboring  districts, 
may,  when  they  choose,  reach  ISTew  Orleans  with  twenty 
or  thirty  thousand  men,  transferred  on  large  flat-boats, 
which  they  are  in  the  daily  habit  of  constructing,  to  carry 
their  produce  to  market,  and,  protected  by  a  few  gun 
boats,  loaded  with  more  provision  than  they  need.  The 
rapidity  of  the  current  of  the  Ohio,  and  of  the  other 
waters  which  discharge  themselves  into  it,  makes  it  an 
easy  undertaking ;  and  the  paucity  of  their  wants  would 
accelerate  its  execution.  A  powder-horn,  a  bag  of  balls, 
a  rifle,  and  a  sufficient  provision  of  flour — this  would  be 
the  extent  of  their  military  equipment.  A  great  deal  of 
skill  in  shooting,  the  habit  of  being  in  the  woods  and  of 


EXPECTATIONS.  567 

enduring  fatigue — this  is  what  makes  up  for  every  de 
ficiency."  * 

Again,  he  remarks,  "  what  entitles  Louisiana  to  pecu 
liar  attention  is  the  fact  of  her  being  a  port  in  the  Gulf 
of  Mexico,  where  no  other  power  than  Spain  has  any ; 
but  what  gives  her  still  more  value  is,  her  position  in 
relation  to  the  kingdom  of  Mexico,  whose  natural  barrier 
is  the  Mississippi. 

"  It  is  necessary  to  make  this  barrier  an  impenetrable 
one.  It  is  the  surest  means  of  destroying  forever  the 
bold  schemes  with  which  several  individuals  in  the  United 
States  never  cease  filling  the  newspapers,  by  designating 
Louisiana  as  the  high  road  to  the  conquest  of  Mexico, 
particularly  ever  since  the  occurring  of  differences  with 
regard  to  its  limits." 

Pontalba  advised  that  peace  should  be  observed  be 
tween  France  and  the  United  States ;  for  otherwise  the 
inhabitants  of  the  West  would  precipitate  themselves 
upon  Louisiana,  and  wrest  it  by  force  from  the  dominion 
of  France.  This,  he  declared,  had  been  the  policy  of 
Spain  since  1797.  "  It  was  assisted  in  this  policy,"  he 
says,  "  by  a  powerful  inhabitant  of  Kentucky,f  who  pos 
sesses  much  influence  with  his  countrymen,  and  enjoys 
great  consideration  for  the  services  he  has  rendered  the 
cause  of  liberty  when  occupying  high  grades  in  the  army 
of  the  United  States ;  who,  from  that  time,  has  never 
ceased  to  serve  Spain  in  all  her  views,  and  who  will  put 
the  same  zeal  at  the  command  of  France,  because  he  thinks, 


*  Gayarre's  History  of  Louisiana,  Vol.  Ill,  p.  410. 
t  General  Wilkinson. 


568  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

with  reason,  that  an  intimate  union  between  her  and 
Louisiana  is  more  advantageous  to  his  country,  Ken 
tucky,  than  its  present  relation  with  the  United  States."  * 

M.  de  Pontalba  discloses  the  fact  that  he  also  had  been 
in  secret  conference  with  Wilkinson,  who  had  imparted 
to  the  French  agent  his  knowledge  of  the  policy  and 
designs  of  Spain,  and  his  own  complicity  with  the  Span 
ish  authorities.  "  This  individual,"  he  continues,  "  whose 
name  I  shall  not  mention,  in  order  not  to  expose  him, 
but  which  I  shall  make  known  when  his  services  are 
wanted,  came  to  New  Orleans  in  1787.  He  informed  the 
Spanish  Government  of  the  state  of  things  then  existing 
in  Kentucky  and  the  adjoining  districts,  and  of  the  efforts 
which  the  inhabitants  of  those  provinces  were  making  to 
obtain  their  independence  and  the  free  navigation  of  the 
Mississippi.  He  also  declared  that  there  was  a  general 
disposition  among  the  people  to  place  themselves  under 
the  protection  of  Spain,  should  Congress  refuse  to  do 
justice  to  their  claim. 

"  It  is  on  that  refusal  that  this  inhabitant  of  Kentucky 
had  founded  all  his  hopes,  and,  in  that  case,  he  had 
offered  to  declare  himself  the  vassal  of  his  Catholic  Ma 
jesty.  He  proceeded  as  such  to  give  information  of  all 
that  the  inhabitants  of  that  region  would  undertake  for 
or  against  Louisiana,  in  order  to  increase  our  strength. 
It  was  with  this  disposition  he  went  back." 

In  a  note  at  the  hottom  of  the  manuscript  he  adds : 
"  Four  times,  from  1786  to  1792,  propositions  were  made 
to  Kentucky  and  Cumberland  to  attack  Louisiana;  and 

*  Gayarre's  History  of  Louisiana,  Vol.  Ill,  p.  414 


WILKINSON.  569 

every  time  this  same  individual  caused  them  to  fail, 
through  his  influence  over  his  countrymen.  I  make 
these  facts  known  to  show  that  France  must  not  neglect  to 
enlist  this  individual  in  her  service."  * 

A  minute  detail  of  events,  which  occurred  subsequent 
to  these  transactions,  and  prior  to  the  organization  of  the 
Burr  expedition,  belongs  more  particularly  to  the  province 
of  history.  Taken  in  connection  with  the  facts  afterward 
developed,  they  point  unerringly  to  Wilkinson,  as  the 
author  of  that  famed  event.  From  the  year  1787  to 
within  a  brief  period  preceding  the  movements  of  Burr, 
he  has  been  shown  to  have  been  closely  allied  to  the  in 
terests  of  the  Spanish  crown.  He  had  not  only  secretly 
advocated  disunion,  but  was  undoubtedly  a  pensioner  of 
the  Spanish  Court.  From  his  intimacy  with  the  affairs 
of  Louisiana,  and  the  designs  of  Spain  and  the  French 
Republic,  his  intelligence  upon  all  subjects  involving  the 
interests  of  either,  was  seldom  surpassed  by  those  of  their 
own  officials.  A  life  of  restless  activity,  an  intimacy  with 
the  inhabitants,  both  of  the  western  country  and  Lou 
isiana;  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  topography  of  the 
country  and  the  routes  which  penetrated  the  Spanish 
dominions  ;  a  lust  for  power  and  position,  with  an  unholy 
ambition  for  wealth,  at  the  sacrifice  even  of  honor,  in 
tegrity  and  patriotism ;  a  cultivated  talent  for  intrigue 
and  a  dissembler  in  national  diplomacy,  with  a  spirit  of 
adventure,  which  time  had  not  subdued,  and  surrounded 
by  restless  spirits,  to  whom  war  was  preferable  to  repose, 
he  stood  unrivaled  as  a  leader  of  predatory  incursions 
and  revolutionary  leagues. 

Gayarre's  History  of  Louisiana,  Vol.  Ill,  p.  414. 


570  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

He  was  known  to  be  the  intimate  friend  and  companion 
of  Burr.  They  had  served  in  the  revolutionary  strug 
gles  together.  On  the  fatal  occasion  of  the  fall  of  Ham 
ilton,  he  had  been  among  the  first  to  rally  to  the  support 
of  the  declining  popularity  of  his  early  associate.  He 
had  spent  the  winter  preceding  the  close  of  Burr's  Vice- 
Presidency,  at  Washington,  and  secured  his  agency  in 
procuring  the  governorship  of  Louisiana.  He  had  held 
secret  counsels  with  him,  introduced  to  his  acquaintance 
many  of  his  personal  friends,  and,  as  Burr  repeatedly 
alleged,  detailed  to  him  all  the  information  he  possessed 
respecting  Mexico,  and  pointed  out  the  facilities  which 
would  probably  be  offered  by  the  inhabitants  in  effecting 
a  revolution.  As  has  been  related  in  a  former  chapter, 
on  his  first  visit  to  the  West,  Burr  visited  Wilkinson,  by 
whom  he  was  most  graciously  received,  and  furnished 
with  letters  of  introduction  to  many  of  the  energetic  and 
influential  characters  of  the  South  and  West. 

The  project  of  a  dismemberment  of  the  Union,  and  the 
annexation  of  the  trans- Allegany  Territory  to  Louisiana, 
can  not  therefore  be  said  to  have  originated  with  Burr. 
It  was  a  subject  of  almost  constant  agitation  in  the  coun 
try  for  more  than  fifteen  years  prior  to  his  undertaking, 
and,  at  one  time,  embraced  many  leading  supporters  in 
the  West.  Nor  was  the  invasion  of  Mexico  a  startling 
proposition,  now  for  the  first  time  advanced,  for  it  too 
had  its  advocates,  and  preceding  the  purchase  of  Louis 
iana,  by  the  United  States,  might  have  been  successfully 
carried  into  execution. 

There  was  another  scheme,  however,  which  had  but 
recently  before  been  originated,  and  which,  perhaps,  aided 


MIRANDA.  571 

more  than  all  others  in  giving  it  vitality  and  setting  it 
on  foot. 

The  provinces  of  South  America  had  long  felt  a  desire 
to  resist  the  authority  of  Spain.  Miranda,  a  bold  and 
energetic  leader,  with  other  of  his  fellow-patriots,  had 
conceived  the  design  of  overthrowing  the  Spanish  dy 
nasty,  and  establishing,  on  its  ruins,  anv  independent 
republic.  He  hoped  to  procure,  as  allies,  in  this  hercu 
lean  undertaking,  both  the  United  States  and  Great 
Britain.  With  that  view,  he  visited  this  country,  in 
1797-'8,  and  sought  the  acquaintance  of  the  most  distin 
guished  Americans.  Knox  and  Hamilton,  who  stood 
high  in  influence  and  official  station,  favored  his  project. 
He  afterward  proceeded  to  England,  and  presented 
himself  to  the  British  ministry.  They  entered  into  his 
views.  The  proposition  was  that  the  United  States 
should  furnish  ten  thousand  troops,  and,  in  that  event, 
the  British  Government  agreed  to  supply  the  necessary 
funds  and  ships  to  carry  on  the  expedition.  From  sev 
eral  communications  addressed  by  Miranda  to  General 
Hamilton,  it  appears  that  the  auxiliary  land  forces  were 
to  be  exclusively  American,  and  that  of  the  navy,  Eng 
lish.  The  enterprise  would,  doubtless,  have  proceeded, 
had  not  the  elder  Adams,  who  was  at  that  time  Presi 
dent,  declined  entering  into  the  arrangement. 

At  the  period  of  the  commencement  of  the  expedition, 
various  favorable  circumstances  rendered  the  undertak 
ing  apparently  auspicious.  The  difficulties  with  Spain, 
before  alluded  to ;  the  restlessness  and  disaffection  of 
many  of  the  officers  and  soldiers  of  the  regular  army  in 
the  West,  who  had  become  tired  of  a  life  of  inactivity 


572  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

and  ease,  where  there  were  no  amusements  to  while 
away  their  vacant  hours,  nor  fields  of  battle  from  whence 
to  pluck  the  never-fading  laurels  of  conquest ;  a  lack  of 
harmony,  not  only  between  the  civil  and  military  author 
ities,  but  in  the  ranks  of  the  military  themselves  ;  all 
these  considerations  might  well  have  flattered  Burr  that 
the  fates  were  favorable  to  the  adventurer.  "  Indeed,  I 
fear  treachery  has  become  the  order  of  the  day,"  writes 
General  Jackson  to  Olaiborne.  "  There  is  something 
rotten  in  the  state  of  Denmark."  The  facetious  McKee, 
in  a  communication  to  Wilkinson,  remarks : — "  Your 
letter  found  me  far  gone  in  the  blue  devils,  doubting 
whether  I  had  better  expatriate  myself,  and  try  my  for 
tunes  amid  the  storm  now  gathering  in  Europe  ;  how 
ever,  nil  disperandum  Teucro  duce  auspice  Teucro.  I'll 
remain  here  till  X'mas." 

An  extensive  correspondence  with  various  distinguished 
characters  of  the  country,  assured  Burr  of  their  counte 
nance  and  co-operation,  in  the  event  of  a  war  with  Spain. 
Wilkinson  writes  him,  under  date  of  October,  1805  :  "  I 
fear  Miranda  has  taken  the  bread  out  of  your  mouth." 
"Wilkinson's  regular  force  consisted  only  of  about  six 
hunded  men,  around  which  the  followers  of  Burr  were 
to  form.  These,  in  fact,  were  the  only  disciplined  corps 
relied  on.  It  is  said  the  commander  had  pledged  him 
self  to  strike  the  blow,  whenever  it  should  be  deemed 
expedient.  All  that  was  wanting,  with  him,  was  a  pre 
text  for  the  commencement  of  hostilities  against  Spain. 
"  On  his  suggestion,  Daniel  Clark  twice  visited  the  coun 
try,  lie  held  conferences,  and  effected  arrangements,  with 
many  of  the  principal  military  officers,  who  engaged  to 


INTRIGUE.  573 

favor  the  Revolution.  The  Catholic  Bishop,  resident  at 
New  Orleans,  was  also  consulted,  and  prepared  to  pro 
mote  the  enterprise.  He  designated  the  priests  of  the 
order  of  Jesuits  as  suitable  agents,  and  they  were  accord 
ingly  employed.  The  bishop  was  an  intelligent  and 
social  man.  He  had  been  in  Mexico,  and  spoke  with 
great  freedom  of  the  disaffection  of  the  clergy  in  South 
America.  The  religious  establishments  of  the  country 
were  not  to  be  molested.  Madam  Xavier  Tarjcon,  su 
perior  of  the  Ursuline  nuns  at  New  Orleans,  was  in  the 
secret.  Some  of  the  sisterhood  were  also  employed  in 
Mexico.  So  far  as  any  decision  had  been  formed,  the 
landing  was  to  have  been  effected  at  Tampico."  * 

Daniel  Clark  engaged  to  advance,  for  the  purpose  of 
the  expedition,  $50,000 ;  but,  being  disappointed,  was 
unable  to  furnish  it.  Murray,  the  British  Plenipotentiary, 
resident  in  the  United  States,  was  consulted  on  the  sub 
ject.  He  communicated  to  his  Government  the  project 
of  Burr.  Col.  Williamson,  *the  brother  of  Lord  Balgray, 
was  dispatched  to  England  on  the  business ;  and,  from 
the  manner  of  his  reception  and  the  encouragement  he 
received,  it  was  expected  that  a  British  naval  squadron 
would  have  been  furnished  for  the  enterprise. 

But  of  all  the  devices  which  his  ingenuity  suggested, 
there  was  none  so  startling  as  his  intrigue  with  the  Span 
ish  minister.  Spain,  although  having  surrendered  her 
dominion  in  Louisiana  to  France,  who,  in  turn,  had  ceded 
that  Territory  to  the  United  States,  still  held  possessions  in 
Florida.  She  yet  cherished  her  old  resentments  against 


*  Davis's  Memoirs  of  Burr,  Vol.  II,  p.  382. 


574  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

the  American  Government,  and  would  have  willingly  co 
operated  to  effect  a  severance  of  the  Union.  A  protracted 
and  angry  correspondence  between  the  plenipotentiaries 
of  both  governments  had  given  rise  to  much  acrimony 
of  feeling ;  and  an  open  rupture,  if  not  an  immediate 
resort  to  arms,  seemed  almost  inevitable.  It  was  at  this 
juncture  of  affairs  that  Burr,  having  become  familiar 
with  her  former  intrigues  through  Wilkinson,  dispatched 
De  Pestre,  his  confidential  agent,  to  Yrujo,  the  Spanish 
minister,  offering  the  services  of  himself  and  followers  to 
the  cause  of  the  Spanish  crown.  Proposals  were  made 
that  Spain  should  furnish  the  means  and  arms,  while  the 
forces  were  to  be  supplied  by  Burr. 

Yrujo,  however,  learning,  in  the  mean  time,  that  so  far 
from  aiding  the  cause  of  his  Spanish  master,  it  was 
merely  a  device  to  procure  the  means  and  arms  to  wrest 
from  the  possession  of  the  crown  its  possession  in  Mexico, 
withdrew  his  aid  before  the  negotiations  were  entirely 
completed. 

"  This  evening,"  says  Blennerhassett,  "  De  Pestre  spent 
an  hour  with  me,  which  was  passed  in  a  more  detailed 
view  of  his  past  concerns  with  Burr.  He  gave  me  a  de 
scription  of  the  manners  and  character  of  Yrujo,  who 
is  reconfirmed  in  his  embassy  to  this  country,  in  spite  of 
all  the  efforts  of  the  Government  for  his  removal.  This 
minister  is.  according  to  De  Pestre's  portrait  of  him,  a 
shrewd  politician,  who  pierced  the  cobweb  tissue  of 
Burr's  intrigue  with  him  at  a  single  glance.  Though  he 
assured  De  Pestre,  who  was  charged  in  Kentucky,  last 
October,  w*th  a  special  mission  to  him,  that  had  Burr 
opened  his  designs  with  frankness,  and  really  projected 


MISREPRESENTATIONS.  575 

a  severance  of  the  Union,  and  nothing  hostile  to  the 
Spanish  provinces,  he,  Burr,  might  have  had  an  easy 
resort  to  the  Spanish  treasury  and  its  arsenals,  while  his 
confidence  would  have  been  safely  lodged  in  the  honor 
of  a  Spanish  nobleman.  But  Yrujo  laughed  at  the  awk 
wardness  with  which  Burr  endeavored  to  mask  his  de 
sign  on  Mexico,  and  expressed  his  concern  for  De  Pestre's 
having  lost  his  time  in  such  a  service." 

Burr  was  much  mortified  and  annoyed  at  the  penetra 
tion  of  his  intended  victim,  and  at  the  time  of  his  em 
barrassments  on  the  Mississippi,  by  Wilkinson,  declared, 
in  the  presence  of  Smith  and  Blennerhassett,  that  De 
Pestre  should  be  hung  for  his  ineffectual  negotiations. 

Twice,  as  we  have  seen,  Burr  visited  the  West.  Wher 
ever  he  went  he  spoke  disrespectfully  of  the  Government 
of  his  country,  with  the  view  to  facilitate  the  consumma 
tion  of  his  own  designs.  He  represented  it  as  destitute 
of  energy  to  support  or  defend  our  national  rights  against 
foreign  enemies,  and  of  a  spirit  to  maintain  our  national 
character ;  that,  in  fact,  we  had  no  character  at  home  or 
abroad.  To  those  in  whom  he  confided,  he  asserted,  that 
all  men  of  property  and  influence  were  dissatisfied  with 
its  arrangements,  because  they  were  not  in  a  proper  situ 
ation,  to  which  they  were  entitled ;  that  with  five  hun 
dred  men  he  could  effect  a  revolution,  by  which  he  could 
send  the  President  to  Monticello,  intimidate  Congress 
and  take  the  government  of  the  United  States  into  his 
own  hands ;  that  the  people  of  the  Union  had  so  little 
knowledge  of  their  rights,  and  so  slight  an  inclination  to 
maintain  them,  that  they  would  tamely  acquiesce  in  this 
shameful  usurpation.  This  was  addressed  to  the  inhab- 


576  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

itants  of  the  East.  In  the  "West,  he  sought  to  arouse 
their  old  and  long-cherished  prejudices.  He  told  them 
they  were  in  a  state  of  colonial  dependence  on  the  Atlan 
tic  States,  and  annually  paid  millions  to  the  Government, 
from  which  they  derived  no  benefit,  nor  received  protec 
tion,  in  return.  He  urged  that  a  severance  of  the  Union 
was  necessary,  and  must  inevitably  take  place ;  that  this 
would  not  be  effected  by  the  operation  of  natural  or  of 
moral  and  political  causes,  but  as  determined  by  a  chain 
of  events ;  that  the  destiny  of  the  Republic  was  fixed, 
and  that  this  resolution  would  be  accomplished  in  less 
than  two  years.  To  the  world  at  large,  and  to  those  with 
whom  he, had  not  tampered,  the  object  of  his  enterprise 
was  held  forth  as  a  settlement  of  the  Bastrop  lands.  To 
some,  intimations  were  dropped  of  an  approaching  rupture 
with  Spain,  against  whose  provinces  the  expedition  was 
intended ;  and  the  conquest  of  Mexico  was  alluded  to. 
To  a  few  only  his  real  design  was  developed  ;  but  to  all, 
he  said,  there  was  a  great  scheme  in  view ;  that  the  en 
terprise  was  a  just  and  honorable  one,  known  and  ap 
proved  by  the  Government,  in  which  the  co-operation 
of  the  army  was  to  be  expected,  in  which  great  wealth 
was  to  be  acquired,  and  that  it  would  be  fully  disclosed 
at  the  proper  time. 

Such  were  the  preparations  : — a  plan  well  matured,  and 
auguring  success,  in  the  event  of  a  war  with  Spain  ;  for 
upon  this  event  alone,  let  it  be  remembered,  had  his  prin 
cipal  force  consented  to  join  the  expedition.  As  soon, 
however,  as  intelligence  had  been  received,  that  such  sat 
isfaction  had  been  rendered,  on  the  part  of  the  Spanish 
Government,  as  to  obviate  the  necessity  of  a  resort  -to 


LOSING   GROUND.  577 

arms,  many  of  the  warmest  advocates  of  the  plan  aban 
doned  their  former  designs,  and  turned  their  attention  to 
scenes  less  dazzling  but  more  productive  of  substantial 
enjoyment.  "  I  had  written  a  great  deal,"  says  McKee, 
"  about  recruiting  in  Tennessee,  about  cutting  and  slash 
ing  and  packing  dollars,  and  enjoying  otium  cum.  digni- 
tate,  but  i  all  our  differences  being  settled  with  Spain '  knocks 
all  my  Utopia  to  the  devil !  " 

Burr  had  dreamed  too  long  of  the  wealth  and  splendor 
of  the  halls  of  the  Montezumas,  to  resign  their  captivat 
ing  pleasures  for  the  tamer  scenes  of  a  government  in 
which  he  was  becoming  daily  more  unpopular;  and 
which,  he  now  conceived,  viewed  his  actions  with  un 
grateful  suspicions.  For  years  had  he  cherished  the 
hope  of  investing  himself  with  the  regal  power  of  that 
ancient  kingdom,  and  transmitting  its  crown  to  his  latest 
posterity.  For  the  realization  of  this,  had  he  sacrificed 
the  comforts  of  home ;  traversed  the  States  to  the  ex 
tremes  of  Florida ;  often  traveling  through  pathless  wil 
dernesses,  sometimes  without  shelter,  and  occasionally 
without  food,  alluring  to  his  standard  men  of  every 
grade,  prompted  by  every  motive  of  action. 

Confident  of  the  aid  of  Wilkinson,  and  the  forces  un 
der  his  command,  he  continued  his  exertions,  after  every 
prospect  of  a  war  with  Spain  had  ceased.  Whatever 
motive  may  have  influenced  the  subsequent  conduct  of 
that  officer,  there  is  but  little  doubt  that  he  had  given 
Burr  the  most  indubitable  assurance  of  his  firm  adhesion. 
In  the  vagueness  of  conjecture,  charity  would,  indeed, 
suggest  such  reasons  for  the  change,  as  usually  actuates 
the  soldier  and  the  patriot ;  but,  unfortunately  opposed 
37 


578  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

to  this  conclusion,  is  his  demand  of  the  Spanish  viceroy, 
of  the  sum  of  two  hundred  thousand  dollars,  "  for  great 
pecuniary  sacrifices,  in  defeating  Burr's  plans,  and,  Leon- 
idas-like,  throwing  himself  in  the  pass  of  Thermopylae.' 

Notwithstanding  the  suspicions  with  which  his  move 
ments  were  observed  hy  the  Government,  the  acts  of  the 
Ohio  legislature,  and  his  arrest  in  Kentucky,  Burr  still 
persisted  in  his  measures,  giving  confidence  to  his  follow 
ers  hy  his  unflinching  determination.  Even  the  procla 
mation  of  the  President,  and  of  the  several  Governors 
within  the  respective  States  and  Territories  along  his 
route,  could  not  deter  him.  But,  when  he  was  informed 
that  the  measures  adopted  by  the  government  for  his 
arrest  were  through  the  advice  and  at  the  instance  of 
Wilkinson ;  that  he  had  not  only  proved  treacherous  by 
exposing  the  scheme  and  magnifying  its  object,  but  was 
the  chosen  instrument  for  his  arrest ;  that  courage,  which 
had  before  characterized  his  actions,  completely  aban 
doned  him ;  then,  and  not  till  then,  did  he  sink  under 
the  accumulated  difficulties  which  beset  his  path. 

He  was  arrested,  tried  and  acquitted,  "but  his  country 
refused  to  believe  him  innocent.  Though  stout  old  Trux- 
ton  had  testified  in  his  favor ;  though  Jackson  had  seen 
nothing  wrong  in  Burr's  project,  the  popular  voice  con 
tinued  to  regard  him  as  a  traitor,  whom  accident  alone 
had  prevented  from  dismembering  the  Union. 

"  The  real  secret  of  the  popular  belief  is  to  be  found  in 
the  character  of  Burr.  In  him,  the  elements  which  make 
great  and  good  men  were  strangely  mixed  up  with  those 
of  which  we  may  suppose  the  spirits  of  evil  to  pride  them 
selves.  He  was  brave,  affable,  munificent,  of  indomitable 


JEFFERSON.  570 

energy,  of  signal  perseverance.  In  his  own  person,  he 
combined  two  opposite  natures.  He  was  studious,  but 
insinuating;  dignified,  yet  seductive.  Success  did  not 
intoxicate,  nor  reverse  dismay  him.  Turning  to  the  other 
aspect  of  his  character,  these  great  qualities  sunk  to 
insignificance,  beside  his  evil  ones.  He  was  profligate  in 
morals,  public  and  private ;  selfish  and  artful ;  a  master 
in  dissimulation,  treacherous,  cold-hearted.  Subtle,  in 
triguing,  full  of  promise,  he  shot  upwards  in  popularity, 
with  astonishing  velocity;  but  a  skeptic  in  honesty,  a 
scorner  of  all  things  noble  and  good,  he  failed  to  secure 
the  public  confidence,  and  fell  headlong  from  his  dizzy 
eminence.  Here  lies  the  secret  of  his  ruin.  There  was 
nothing  in  his  character  to  which  the  great  heart  of  the 
people  could  attach  itself  in  love ;  but  they  shrank  from 
him,  in  mistrust,  as  from  a  cold  and  glittering  serpent. 
The  public  rarely  errs  in  an  estimate  like  this." 

It  has  been  alleged  of  Mr.  Jefferson,  that  he  was 
privy  to  Burr's  arrangements  ;  and  that  they  were  tacitly 
assented  to  by  him.  In  viewing  the  various  circum 
stances,  particularly  the  conduct  of  the  President  himself, 
it  would  at  first  appear  that  such  an  allegation  was  not 
altogether  groundless.  Burr  had  been  a  formidable  rival 
in  his  master-struggle  for  the  Presidency.  It  had  re 
quired  thirty  ballotings  to  decide  the  question  between 
them,  and  Jefferson's  final  success  was  owing  to  a  com 
promise  of  the  members  of  the  Senate,  by  which  the 
votes  of  Vermont,  Delaware  and  Maryland  were  with 
drawn  from  the  opposition,  through  no  particular  prefer 
ences  for  the  latter,  but  to  conciliate  parties  and  bury  in 
silence  the  exciting  topic. 


580  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

The  subject  of  the  conquest  of  Mexico  was  daily  con 
versed  upon  by  the  officers  of  the  various  Departments, 
as  is  clearly  established  by  the  evidence  on  the  trial.  The 
Spanish  war  was  a  theme  of  universal  interest ;  and,  had 
that  event  happened,  what  cared  the  President  whether 
the  American  forces  paused  on  the  banks  of  the  Sabine, 
or  carried  their  arms  into  the  heart  of  Mexico.  Already 
had  arrangements  been  effected  between  the  Government 
and  the  Spanish  officers  of  Louisiana  and  Florida,  by 
which  those  officers  were  to  favor  the  Americans,  in  case 
of  a  war,  and  rally  under  the  standard  of  the  forces  of 
the  Union.*  And  such  would,  doubtless,  have  been  the 


*  "  John  Smith,  a  member  of  the  United  States  Senate  from  Ohio,  who 
was  arrested  as  an  accomplice  of  Burr,  in  a  conversation  with  his  friends, 
stated  that,  before  the  movements  of  Burr  had  attracted  general  notice, 
Mr.  Jefferson  requested  a  confidential  interview  with  him,  Smith,  at  which 
he  inquired  if  he  was  not  personally  acquainted  with  the  Spanish  officers 
of  Louisiana  and  Florida.  On  being  answered  in  the  affirmative,  he  went 
on  to  state,  that  a  war  with  Spain  seemed  to  be  inevitable ;  and  that  it  was 
very  desirable  to  know  the  feelings  of  those  men  toward  the  United  States, 
and  whether  reliance  could  be  placed  on  their  friendship,  if  a  war  should 
take  place  between  the  two  countries.  At  the  same  time,  he  requested  him 
to'visit  the  country,  with  reference  to  that  object.  Mr.  Smith  stated  that 
he  did  visit  the  country,  as  requested ;  and  that,  on  his  return,  he  re 
ported  to  Mr.  Jefferson  that  the  governor,  the  inferior  officers,  and  the  in 
habitants  generally,  were  not  only  friendly,  but  were  desirous  of  attach 
ing  themselves  to  the  United  States.  This  was  in  the  summer  preceding 
the  'war  message'  against  Spain,  which  was  sent  to  the  two  Houses  of 
Congress,  in  December,  1805.  Although  the  message  was  confidential,  it 
soon  became  known  to  the  diplomatic  corps  at  Washington  ;  and  the  French 
Ambassador  was  ordered,  by  his  master,  Napoleon,  to  inform  the  American 
Government  that  France  would  take  a  part  with  Spain,  in  any  contest  she 
might  have  with  the  United  States.  It  is  a  matter  of  history,  that,  after 
that  notice,  the  project  against  Spain,  communicated  in  the  confidential 
message,  and  referred  to  in  the  conversation  with  Mr.  Smith,  was  aban 
doned  ;  and  about  the  same  time,  measures  were  taken  to  stop  the  move 
ments  of  Burr. — Burners  Notes,  p.  294." 


PROBABILITIES.  581 

case,  had  a  declaration  of  war  been  proclaimed ;  but  an 
intimation  from  the  French  Ambassador,  that  the  meas 
ure  would  call  Napoleon  to  the  aid  of  Spain,  induced  the 
Government  to  abandon  its  designs,  and  arrest  the  opera 
tions  of  Burr. 

But,  whatever  may  be  said  to  the  contrary,  it  is  hardly 
to  be  presumed  that  any  treasonable  designs  were  known 
to  the  President;  at  least,  no  satisfactory  evidence  has 
ever  been  disclosed  to  implicate  him  with  the  movement. 
Had  a  collision  with  Spain  actually  occurred,  it  is  prob 
able  no  prosecution  would  ever  have  been  instituted ;  for, 
in  that  event,  American  arms  proving  victorious,  Spanish 
domination  would  have  been  swept  from  the  continent  of 
the  North,  and  the  banners  of  Burr  would  have  floated 
proudly  over  the  halls  of  the  Montezumas. 


582  THE  BLENNEKHASSETT  PAPERS. 


CHAPTER   XVI. 

TEN  years  had  passed  rapidly  away  since  the  occur 
rences  of  the  "Burr  expedition."  The  prospect  of  re 
gaining  his  fortune  became  daily  less  flattering  to  Blen- 
nerhassett.  His  means  were  insufficient  to  enable  him  to 
procure  a  sufficient  number  of  slaves  to  render  the  pro 
duction  of  cotton  profitable.  Hence  he  determined  to 
dispose  of  his  Mississippi  estate,  and  try  his  fortunes  in 
the  growing  metropolis  of  New  York.  An  advertisement 
of  the  sale  describes  his  possessions  as  consisting  of  one 
thousand  acres  of  land,  two  hundred  of  which  was  under 
cultivation ;  a  dwelling-house,  orchard  and  cotton  gin, 
with  many  other  improvements,  within  thirty-six  miles 
of  Washington,  Mississippi  Territory,  and  six  from  navi 
gation  ;  also,  twenty-two  negroes,  the  whole  estimated  at 
the  sum  of  $27,000. 

From  the  proceeds  of  his  sale  he  was  enabled  to  satisfy 
his  clamorous  creditors,  and  make  a  small  investment  in 
the  stocks  of  the  banks  of  New  York,  to  which  city  he 
shortly  after  removed. 

During  the  interval,  from  the  time  of  his  removal  from 
the  Mississippi  Territory  until  the  year  1819,  he  has  left 
us  no  record  of  his  history.  The  Duke  of  Richmond,  an 
old  schoolmate,  had  been  recently  appointed  Governor  of 
Canada.  He  had  heard  of  the  misfortunes  of  his  friend, 


583 

and  addressed  him  a  communication  tendering  his  assist 
ance.  Blennerhassett's  legal  attainments  qualified  him 
for  the  duties  of  the  bench,  and,  through  the  influence 
of  the  Governor,  he  hoped  to  secure  a  judgeship  in  one 
of  the  provincial  courts.  He  accordingly  removed  to 
Montreal  in  1819,  and  resumed  the  practice  of  the  law  in 
partnership  with  a  Mr.  Rossiter.  Their  success,  however, 
did  not  prove  flattering.  Clients  were  few,  and,  as  it 
appears  from  the  correspondence  which  subsequently 
passed  between  them,  were  not  of  that  class  which  most  • 
rapidly  advance  the  fortunes  of  the  profession.  Blenner- 
hassett  entertained  greater  expectations  of  the  bench  than 
of  the  bar,  but  no  vacancy  occurred  in  the  judicial  corps. 
It  was  while  here,  with  prospects  of  poverty  and  blighted 
hopes  thickening  around  them,  that  Mrs.  Blennerhassett 
wrote  the  following  lines  descriptive  of  the  "  Isle,"  her 
former  home.  They  are  from  the  overflowing  of  a  heart 
which  had  passed  through  much  sorrow,  and  are  an 
eloquent  lament  over  the  misfortunes  and  ruin  of  the 
family  and  fortune  of  Blennerhassett  : 

"THE     DESERTED     ISLE." 

Like  mournful  echo,  from  the  silent  tomb, 

That  pines  away  upon  the  midnight  air, 

While  the  pale  moon  breaks  out,  with  fitful  gloom, 

Fond  memory  turns,  with  sad  but  welcome  care, 

To  scenes  of  desolation  and  despair, 

Once  bright  with  all  that  beauty  could  bestow, 

That  peace  could  shed,  or  youthful  fancy  know. 

To  the  fair  isle,  reverts  the  pleasing  dream. 
Again  thou  risest,  in  thy  green  attire, 
Fresh,  as  at  first,  thy  blooming  graces  seem  ,• 


584  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

Thy  groves,  thy  fields,  their  wonted  sweets  respire  ; 
Again  thou  'rt  all  my  heart  could  e'er  desire. 
0!    why,  dear  Isle,  art  thou  not  still  my  own? 
Thy  charms  could  then  for  all  my  griefs  atone. 

The  stranger  that  descends  Ohio's  stream, 
Charm'd  with  the  beauteous  prospects  that  arise, 
Marks  the  soft  isles  that,  'neath  the  glittering  beam, 
Dance  with  the  wave  and  mingle  with  the  skies, 
Sees,  also,  one  that  now  in  ruin  lies, 
Which  erst,  like  fairy  queen,  towered  o'er  the  rest, 
In  every  native  charm,  by  culture,  dress'd. 

There  rose  the  seat,  where  once,  in  pride  of  life, 
My  eye  could  mark  the  queenly  river's  flow, 
In  summer's  calmness,  or  in  winter's  strife, 
Swollen  with  rains,  or  battling  with  the  snow. 
Never,  again,  my  heart  such  joy  shall  know. 
Havoc,  and  ruin,  rampant  war,  have  pass'd 
Over  that  isle,  with  their  destroying  blast* 

The  black'ning  fire  has  swept  throughout  her  halls 

The  winds  fly  whistling  o'er  them,  and  the  wave 

No  more,  in  spring-floods,  o'er  the  sand-beach  crawls, 

But  furious  drowns  in  one  o'erwhelming  grave, 

Thy  hallowed  haunts  it  watered  as  a  slave. 

Drive  on,  destructive  flood !    and  ne'er  again 

On  that  devoted  isle  let  man  remain. 

Too  many  blissful  moments  there  I  've  known , 
Too  many  hopes  have  there  met  their  decay ; 
Too  many  feelings  now  for  ever  gone, 
To  wish  that  thou  couldst  ere  again  display 
The  joyful  coloring  of  thy  prime  array; 
Buried  with  thee,  let  them  remain  a  blot, 
With  thee,  their  sweets,  their  bitterness  forgot. 

And,  oh  !    that  I  could  wholly  wipe  away 
The  memory  of  the  ills  that  worked  thy  fall; 


ADVERSITY.  585 

The  memory  of  that  all-eventful  day, 

When  I  return' d,  and  found  my  own  fair  hall 

Held  by  the  infuriate  populace  in  thrall, 

My  own  fireside  blockaded  by  a  band 

That  once  found  food  and  shelter  of  my  hand. 

My  children,  oh !    a  mother's  pangs  forbear, 
Nor  strike  again  that  arrow  to  my  soul; 
Clasping  the  ruffians  in  suppliant  prayer, 
To  free  their  mother  from  unjust  control, 
While  with  false  crimes  and  imprecations  foul, 
The  wretched,  vilest  refuse  of  the  earth, 
Mock  jurisdiction  held  around  my  hearth. 

Sweet  isle !   methinks  I  see  thy  bosom  torn ; 
Again  behold  the  ruthless  rabble  throng, 
That  wrought  destruction  taste  must  ever  mourn. 
Alas!    I  see  thee  now,  shall  see  thee  long; 
But  ne'er  shall  bitter  feelings  urge  the  wrong, 
That,  to  a  mob,  would  give  the  censure,  due 
To  those  that  arm'd  the  plunder-greedy  crew. 

Thy  shores  are  warmed  by  bounteous  suns  in  vain, 

Columbia! — if  spite  and  envy  spring, 

To  blot  the  beauty  of  mild  nature's  reign, 

The  European  stranger,  who  would  fling, 

O'er  tangled  woods,  refinement's  polishing, 

May  find,  expended,  every  plan  of  taste, 

His  work  by  ruffians  render'd  doubly  waste. 

"  Misfortune  having  marked  him  for  her  own,"  Blen- 
nerhassett's  anticipated  promotion  was  never  realized. 
The  capriciousriess  of  the  British  ministry  had  removed 
from  office  the  sympathizing  friend,  and  he  found  him 
self  cast  hopelessly  upon  the  world,  at  an  advanced  age, 
without  health,  without  energy,  and  almost  destitute  of 
the  means  of  a  comfortable  subsistence. 


586  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

As  a  last  resort,  he  determined  to  prosecute  a  rever 
sionary  claim  still  existing  in  Ireland,  regarded  by  him 
with  indifference  in  his  more  affluent  days,  but  which 
now,  in  his  destitute  situation,  recommended  itself  strong 
ly  to  his  attention.  Through  the  influence  of  friends,  he 
hoped  also  to  obtain  an  office  under  the  English  Govern 
ment,  by  which  he  might  the  more  readily  gain  the 
means  for  conducting  the  suit. 

Under  these  considerations  he  left  the  province  of 
Canada  and  sailed  for  Ireland,  in  1822.  As  the  receding 
shores  of  the  American  continent  were  dimly  shadowed 
in  the  distance,  he  cast  a  glance  toward  the  fading  scene. 
A  recollection  of  the  past  was  no  pleasing  retrospect.  A 
quarter  of  a  century  had  passed  since  he  had  hailed  those 
shores,  with  buoyant  hopes  and  joyful  anticipations  of 
future  happiness.  To  him,  it  was  then  a  land  wherein 
was  to  be  realized  all  that  was  lovely — all  that  was  desira 
ble  of  earth — a  land  of  freemen,  with  whom  was  the 
abode  of  peace.  Then,  he  was  in  the  noontide  of  man 
hood  ;  blessed  with  health  and  a  competency  beyond  his 
wants.  The  smile  of  friendship,  the  marked  and  decorous 
respect  with  which  he  was  met,  the  welcome  greeting — 
all  gave  evidence  of  lasting  enjoyment.  But  how  mys 
terious  are  the  dispensations  of  Providence  toward  the 
children  of  men  !  He  had  lived  long  enough  to  see  every 
one  of  those  bright  hopes  perish ;  his  fortune  had  been 
lost ;  his  health  most  seriously  impaired ;  and,  to  fill  the 
measure  of  unhappiness,  he  was  branded,  by  public  opin 
ion,  with  a  design  of  overthrowing  the  liberties  of  that 
government  which  had  allured  him  across  the  Atlantic. 
These  were  reflections  gloomy  in  the  extreme,  and  still 


NO    HOPE.  587 

the  future  was  not  less  cheerless.  As  the  green  fields  of 
his  native  isle  hroke  upon  his  view,  how  like  the  Prodigal 
Son,  who  had  spent  his  substance  in  a  foreign  shore,  did 
he  return  to  his  fatherland.  But  for  him,  alas !  there 
was  no  "  plenty  and  to  spare  ;  "  no  fatted  calf  was  killed ; 
no  fond  embrace  of  anxious  friends.  In  the  long  space 
of  twenty-five  years,  how  many  changes  had  served  to 
break  the  ties  which  bound  him  to  his  childhood's  home  ! 
As  again  he  trod  the  fields  of  his  former  sports,  memory 
turned,  with  melancholy  tenderness,  to  those  boon  com 
panions  of  his  earlier  years.  Where,  alas  !  were  they  ? 
Nought  now  remained  to  identify  him  with  the  past; 
and  he  stood  a  stranger  on  his  native  land  ! 

On  the  next  day  after  his  arrival  in  Ireland,  he  called 
upon  his  solicitor,  Mr.  Berwick,  the  gentleman  referred 
to  in  the  letter  of  Mr.  Emmett,  to  consult  with  reference 
to  the  Bawn  estate,  then  in  the  possession  of  Lord  Ross, 
ci  devantj  Oxmantown.*  But  Dean  Harman  had  been 
dead  for  more  than  twenty  years,  and  Blennerhassett's 


*  Lord  Ross  was  formerly  Sir  Laurence  Parsons,  and  was  an  able  and 
eloquent  advocate  of  Emancipation  in  the  Irish  House  of  Commons.  He 
was  not  less  a  poet  than  an  orator.  Some  effusions  from  his  pen  have 
found  their  way  into,  the  standard  history  of  his  country,  and  are  much 
admired  by  his  partisans,  the  United  Irishmen.  The  following  lines,  from 
his  pen,  are  selected  from  "  Wolfe  Jones's  Memoirs : " 

"  How  long,  0  Slavery !  shall  thine  iron  mace 
Wave  o'er  this  isle,  and  crouch  its  abject  race? 
Full  many  a  dastard  century  we  've  bent 
Beneath  thy  terrors,  wretched  and  content. 

"  What  though  with  haughty  arrogance  and  pride 
England  shall  o'er  this  long-duped  country  stride, 
And  lay  on  stripe  on  stripe,  and  shame  on  shame, 
And  brand  to  all  eternity  its  name  ?" 


588  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

claim  was  barred  by  the  statute  of  limitations.  Besides, 
Lord  Ross  was  both  wealthy  and  influential,  and  was  not 
disposed  either  to  deliver  up  possession  or  suggest  a 
compromise. 

Blennerhassett,  on  leaving  Quebec,  having  inclosed  his 

will  to  his  wife,  she  responded  as  follows : 

\< 

/    ' 

From  Mrs.  Blennerhassett. 

FLATBUSH,  July  29th,  1822. 

Your  dear  and  long-looked-for  letter  from  Quebec 
reached  me  a  fortnight  ago,  and  would  have  been  much 
more  welcome  without  the  melancholy  memento  that 
accompanied  it,  though  such  precaution,  I  must  confess, 
is  necessary  where  a  family  is  concerned ;  and  I  trust  in 
God  we  have  yet  two  children  worthy  of  all  we  can  do 
for  them.  Dominick  *  sailed  three  weeks  ago  for  Savan 
nah,  where  he  may,  from  all  accounts,  do  well.  As  to 
St.  Domingo,  that  place  is  now  out  of  the  question,  for 
many  reasons  you  may  have  heard  respecting  its  present 
situation.  *  *  *  * 

You  will  be  surprised  to  learn  where  I  am  now  ;  I  there 
fore  will  endeavor  to  state  every  thing  concerning  us 
since  we  parted,  providing  you  have  never  received  the 
letter  I  wrote  on  leaving  Troy,  where  I  found  it  impossi 
ble  to  settle  with  either  convenience  or  economy ;  though 


"  'T  is  right  well  done ;  bear  all,  and  more,  I  say ; 
Nay.  ten  times  more ;  and  then  for  more  still  pray ! 
What  State  in  something  would  not  foremost  be? 
She  strives  for  fame,  thou  for  servility." 

*  Eldest  son  of  Blennerhassett. 


ECONOMIZING.  589 

Mr.  Dickenson  made  every  exertion  in  his  power  for  my 
accommodation.  He  then  advised  my  coming  to  the 
neighborhood  of  £Tew  York,  and  mentioned  this  place  or 
Greenwich. 

I  therefore  came  to  Mr.  Emmett  for  further  advice,  and 
he  thought  this  place  would  be  best,  and  gave  me  a  letter 
to  the  Professor  of  the  Academy  here,  who  has  been 
very  kind  to  me.  I  found  boarding  here  very  high,  and 
therefore  engaged  two  rooms  in  a  farm-house,  at  three 
dollars  a  week,  and  have  Harmaii*  with  me,  who  has 
not,  nor  is  likely  to  get,  employment ;  and  I  find,  after 
all  the  saving  in  my  power,  I  can  not  maintain  my  two 
children,  Mary  and  myself,  under  ten  dollars  a  week,  in 
cluding  every  thing.  *  *  *  * 
My  dear  kind  friends,  the  Emmetts,  have  been  my  great 
est  support.  Could  I  tell  you  all  the  affectionate  kind 
ness  they  have  lavished  on  us,  you  would  scarcely  credit 
even  me.  Mrs.  Emmett  was  not  in  town  when  I  first  ar 
rived,  but  came  in  next  day  to  see  me.  We  cried  together 
a  long  time,  and  Mr.  Emmett  said  we  were  so  foolish  he 
must  leave  us.  I  went  out  with  them  to  the  country, 
where  I  spent  three  days.  I  did  not  wish  to  stay  so  long, 
but  Lewis  was  with  me,  and  so  delighted  with  the  beauti 
ful  place  and  all  the  attention  he  received,  that  I  wished 
to  indulge  him  ;  besides,  I  found  Mrs.  Emmett's  advice 
and  consolation  acted  powerfully  in  restoring  me  to  some 
tranquillity;  for  never  in  my  life  have  I  been  so  com 
pletely  wretched  as  since  I  parted  from  you.  She  would 
not  hear  of  my  doing  any  thing  in  the  way  of  gaining  a 


*  Second  son  of  Blennerbassett. 


590  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

livelihood  while  any  prospect  remained  of  your  prefer 
ment,  but  cheered  me  with  hopes  of  your  success.  They 
were  then  preparing  to  go  on  a  visit  to  Potsdam,  to  their 
daughter ;  but  Harman  has  seen  them  since,  and  told 
them  of  my  present  plan,  which  they  highly  approve. 

It  is  this :  on  finding  what  my  expenses,  at  the  lowest 
calculation,  amounted  to  here,  I  wrote  to  my  sister  to  let 
me  know  what  we  could  get  boarding  for  in  Wilksbarre, 
thinking,  should  you  be  detained  any  time,  I  might  there 
make  out  much  longer  than  here.  To  this  letter,  written 
a  fortnight  since,  I  have  just  received  an  answer.  Sister 
is  delighted,  and  has  engaged  boarding  at  two  dollars  for 
me  and  one  for  Lewis,*  per  week.  As  for  Mary,  I  do  n't 
know  what  they  will  charge ;  for,  intending  to  persuade 
her  to  find  a  place  here,  I  never  mentioned  her,  and  now 
find  it  impossible  to  get  rid  of  her.  She  positively  de 
clares  she  will  never  leave  me,  nor  suffer  me  to  pay  a 
dollar  for  her  traveling  expenses ;  she  agrees  only  to  let 
me  pay  for  her  board,  as  she  thinks  my  washing  would 
cost  me  as  much. 

Mr.  D.  wrote  to  me  to  get  Mr.  Emmett  to  address  a 
recommendation  to  the  Secretary  of  War  for  Harman ; 
but  no  answer  has  been  returned,  and,  from  all  accounts, 
there  are  too  many  applicants  for  West  Point  to  expect 
success.  Poor  fellow !  he  is  one  of  the  best  children, 
and  the  kindest  of  brothers.  He  managed  Dominick  as 
if  he  had  been  an  old  man,  and  now  labors  hard  in 
teaching  Lewis;  so  he  will  not  forget  what  he  already 
knows.  You  would  be  delighted  to  hear  the  Emmetts 

*  Third  son  of  Blennerhas&ett. 


DESPONDENCY.  591 

praise  him.  Mrs.  Emmett  took  me  up  to  the  top  of  the 
house  to  show  me  the  room  she  had  prepared  for  him 
when  first  he  came,  and  complained  of  his  not  taking  it. 
Young  Swartwout  overpowers  him  with  kindness,  and 
is,  like  many  others,  endeavoring  to  get  him  some  em 
ployment.  We  shall  set  out  for  AVilksbarre  in  a  few  days. 
#  *  *  #  This  house  is  only  three  miles 

from  the  bay ;  and  on  a  still  night,  when  I  could  not  sleep, 
but  listened  to  the  roaring  of  the  sea,  O !  it  was  dreadful. 
Poor  Dominick,  perhaps  he  is  yet  on  it.  God  help  me ! 
I  have  lived  too  long,  indeed,  yet  I  still  hope  to  be  pre 
served  to  meet  you  again;  and  could  I  render  the  re 
mainder  of  your  life  happy,  what  matters  all  the  present 
sufferings  I  undergo. 

Your  affectionate  wife,  M.  BLENNERHASSETT. 

As  the  biography  of  Blennerhassett  is  peculiarly  en 
hanced  in  interest  by  his  association  with  this  most 
devoted  companion,  my  readers  will  pardon  a  digression 
which  relates  more  exclusively  to  herself. 

After  the  departure  of  her  husband  for  Europe,  Mrs. 
Blennerhassett,  with  two  of  her  sons,  Harman  and  Lewis, 
visited  her  sister,  a  Mrs.  Dow,  then  residing  at  Wilks- 
barre,  Pennsylvania,  where  she  remained  until  December, 
1822.  The  separation  from  her  husband,  the  limited 
state  of  her  finances,  and  the  absence  of  her  eldest  son, 
who  was  then  in  the  South,  and  exposed  to  the  diseases 
of  the  tropics,  had  contributed  to  produce  a  state  of  de 
spondency  from  which  she  found  it  difficult  to  rally.  To 
add  to  her  already  overburdened  distress,  she  received 
information  of  the  arrival  in  Kew  York  of  her  unfortu- 


592  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

nate  child,  who  had  returned  from  Savannah,  wrecked  in 
health,  from  an  attack  of  yellow  fever,  and  a  penniless 
wanderer  in  the  streets  of  that  crowded  metropolis.  He 
had  been  liberally  educated,  and  had  prepared  himself  for 
the  practice  of  surgery.  But  through  the  indulgences  of 
his  youth,  he  had  contracted  habits  of  dissipation,  and 
proved  utterly  incapable  either  of  aiding  his  unfortunate 
parents  or  of  providing  for  his  own  necessities.  The  sad 
history  of  her  erring  first-born  son  is  thus  feelingly 
related  by  a  mother,  with  whom  many  an  aching  heart 
may  mingle  a  sigh  of  sympathetic  sorrow : 

From  Mrs.  Blennerhassett. 

NEW  YORK,  March  I2th,  1823. 

MY  EVER  DEAR  HUSBAND  : — Your  letter  of  the  29th  of 
August,  the  first  I  have  received  since  you  sailed  from 
Quebec,  brings  with  it  sensations  I  can  not  describe. 
After  the  dreadful  despondency  'I  have  endured,  for  a 
period  longer  than  I  could  have  ever  conceived  myself 
capable,  so  extreme  has  been  my  wretchedness,  that  I 
have  often  conceived  myself  sinking  into  a  state  that 
promised  a  speedy  termination  of  my  sorrows :  yet,  as 
often  have  I  rallied  again,  and  struggled  against  such 
forebodings  for  the  sake  of  my  darling  Lewis  alone. 
Another  thing  that  has  caused  me  more  recently  to  hope, 
was  a  communication  from  Mr.  Dow,  saying  that  he  had 
learned,  by  a  letter  from  B.  Stafford,  that  you  had  left 
Ireland,  and  was  in  London,  prosecuting  a  suit  against 
Lord  Ross,  in  which  it  was  generally  thought  you  would 
be  successful.  Here  was,  then,  the  dreadful  fear  of  your 
death  removed,  and  though  I  had  no  idea  that  fortune 


BOARDING.  593 

would  ever  again  smile  upon  us,  at  least  to  any  great 
extent,  I  thought  the  celebrity  of  such  a  suit  might  be 
favorable  to  your  prospects  in  Canada. 

I  have  only  written  once  since  my  letter  from  Flatbush, 
not  knowing  afterward  where  to  direct.  I  remained  at 
Wilksbarre  from  the  last  of  August  to  the  2cth  of  De 
cember,  when  I  was  induced  to  come  here,  partly  by  the 
hope  of  being  more  in  the  way  of  receiving  your  letters, 
the  cross  mails  being  very  uncertain,  and  partly,  if  pos 
sible,  to  save  poor  Dominick  ;  but  I  will  not  anticipate. 

I  wrote  you  that  he  had  sailed  for  Savannah ;  and, 
endeavoring  to  discard  him  from  my  thoughts,  I  went 
with  Harman  and  Lewis  to  "Wilksbarre.  I  placed  the 
former  with  Doctor  Covel,  a  skillful  and  worthy  Yankee, 
who  paid  him  great  attention  without,  as  yet,  demanding 
any  remuneration ;  the  latter  had  the  benefit  of  a  good 
country  school,  which  he  attended  regularly.  Mary  re 
sided  with  my  sister,  Mrs.  Dow,  where  she  did  enough  to 
pay  for  her  board,  and  washed  for  us.  I  obtained  board 
for  the  boys  and  myself  at  six  dollars  per  week ;  this 
agreed  with  my  finances,  and  I  willingly  endured  the 
canting  and  vulgarity  of  the  people  of  AVilksbarre  for 
such  advantages.  But  after  getting  my  mind  composed 
on  Dominick's  account,  having  received  two  letters  from 
Savannah,  saying  he  was  doing  well,  his  correspondence 
suddenly  ceased.  Some  ten  weeks  elapsed,  when  I  re 
ceived  another  from  New  York,  announcing  his  arrival 
there  in  the  most  deplorable  condition,  after  having 
escaped,  as  he  expressed  it,  burying  his  bones  in  the 
sands  of  Savannah,  where  he  had  had  a  long  and  re 
peated  attack  of  yellow  fever.  His  life  had  been  saved 
38 


594  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

by  a  friendly  physician ;  but  his  protracted  confinement 
had  involved  him  so  in  debt,  that,  when  scarcely  able  to 
walk,  he  shipped  himself  privately  for  New  York,  rather 
than  be  taken  to  die,  as  he  must  certainly  have  done,  in 
jail.  He  had  given  his  clothes  and  books  to  defray  his 
passage  to  New  York ;  and,  but  for  the  humanity  of  an 
Englishman,  who  is  the  keeper  of  a  small  tavern  here, 
might  have  lain  down  to  rest  in  the  streets  of  the  city. 
I  wrote  to  Robert  Emmett  to  give  him  twenty  dollars  out 
of  my  half-year's  dividend  I  had  ordered  to  be  paid  to 
him,  with  which  request  he  complied,  and  answered  me, 
saying  that  his  embarrassments  prevented  him  from  offer 
ing  money,  though  Dotoinick  had  not  communicated  to 
him  his  necessities.  Afterward,  I  received  another  com 
munication  from  D.,  stating  that  he  had  determined  no 
longer  to  be  a  burden  to  me;  that  he  had  gone  to  the 
]STavy-Yard,  to  enlist  as  a  common  marine,  in  hopes  that, 
by  good  conduct,  he  might  be  appointed  to  a  good  posi 
tion  in  the  hospital;  but  that  on  being  referred  to  the 
surgeon  for  examination,  he  was  rejected,  in  conse 
quence  of  the  critical  condition  of  his  health.  Mr.  Em 
mett  had  previously  written  me  that  D.  was  much 
improved,  and  that  he  yet  hoped  he  might  do  well.  I 
dreaded  his  enlisting,  though  the  surgeon,  on  inquiring 
his  name,  advised  him  against  it,  and  promised  his  in 
fluence  in  having  him  appointed  as  an  assistant;  and, 
though  well  aware  you  will  blame  me,  I  could  not  rest 
while  his  fate  was  so  doubtful;  but,  in  dreadful  weather, 
over  the  roughest  roads,  we  set  out,  and  reached  this  on 
Christmas  Eve.  Robert  Emmett  was  conducting  me  to 
their  house,  when  Dorninick  espied  me,  and  hid,  rather 


CONSULTATION.  595 

than  excite  my  feelings  in  the  street.  'T  was  well  he 
did ;  for  the  next  morning,  when  he  came  to  me  at  Mr. 
E.'s,  his  appearance  was  shocking  beyond  all  description. 
It  gave  me,  however,  consolation  to  know  that  my  timely 
appearance  prevented  his  enlistment;  for,  on  that  very 
day,  he  had  resolved  to  do  so,  as  the  only  means  of 
escaping  starvation.  He  said  he  was  quite  restored ;  but 
such  restoration  I  never  saw.  When  I  witnessed  my  once 
dear  child's  situation,  I  felt,  indeed,  that  I  had  lived  too 
long.  I  dismissed  the  poor  fellow  with  a  trifle  to  aid  his 
most  pressing  wants,  not  wishing  him  to  return  to  the 
military  station  at  Brooklyn,  where,  for  some  days,  he 
had  been  assisting  in  the  hospital,  and  living  with  the 
common  soldiers.  After  consulting  with  my  friends,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Emmett,  I  wrote  to  Colonel  Henderson,  at 
Washington,  who  commands  the  corps,  and  in  a  few  days 
received  one  of  the  most  generous  arid  gratifying  answers 
that  I  could  have  desired.  He  said  that  to  have  an  oppor 
tunity  of  obliging  where  he  owed  obligations  never  to  be 
forgotten,  gave  him  real  pleasure ;  that  he  had  taken  my 
letter  to  the  Secretary  of  War,  and  obtained  the  promise 
of  an  appointment,  as  surgeon's  assistant,  for  my  son,  in 
Commodore  Porter's  Expedition,  which  was  to  sail  in  a 
short  time ;  requested  me  to  lose  no  time ;  and,  as  you 
were  absent,  solicited  me,  in  the  most  generous  manner, 
to  draw  on  him  for  any  sum  I  deemed  necessary  for  Dom- 
inick's  outfit.  I  showed  this  letter  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Emmett,  and,  of  course,  not  choosing  to  incur  a  pecu 
niary  obligation,  and  as  Dominick's  reformed  habits  jus 
tified  my  doing  the  best  I  could  for  my  child,  we  agreed 
that  T  ought  to  sell  a  share  of  my  bank  stock,  which  was 


596  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

accordingly  done ;  and,  after  the  necessary  clothing,  with 
money  sufficient  to  bear  his  traveling  expenses  to  Wash 
ington,  I  bid  him  farewell,  with  more  extatic  happiness 
than  I  conceived  myself  capable  of  experiencing  under 
my  gloomy  apprehensions  as  to  yourself.  Col.  Henderson 
having  requested  me  to  send  him  directly  to  his  house, 
where,  I  am  told,  he  lives  in  very  genteel  style,  on  Dom- 
inick's  arrival,  received  him  as  kindly  as  his  own  son,  and 
wrote  me  immediately  to  assure  me  of  Dominick's  safety, 
and  of  the  expected  sailing  of  the  expedition  in  a  few 
days. 

I  heard  no  more  from  D.  for  a  week,  when  you  may 
guess  my  astonishment  on  his  entering  my  room  like  an 
apparition.  To  tell  you  what  passed  is  useless,  but  I 
gathered  from  him  enough  to  convince  me  that  by  the 
return  of  his  old  habits  he  had  completely  disgusted  Col. 
Henderson,  who  had  given  him  thirty  dollars  to  bring 
him  back  to  his  most  unfortunate  mother.  I  gather  from 
Dominick,  that  he  received  a  severe  reprimand  from  the 
Colonel,  who  yet  assured  him  that  if  he  would  give  him 
his  word  that  he  would  never  again  so  far  forget  himself 
as  to  get  intoxicated,  he  should  still  go  in  the  expedition. 
Dominick's  answer  was  that  he  could  not  answer  for 
himself.  Thus  ended  the  business,  and  thus  am  I  bur 
dened  with  this  unfortunate  child,  whose  existence  I 
will  prolong,  while  my  own  lasts,  whether  you  gain  an 
independence,  or  I  am  obliged  to  retire  to  a  situation 
which,  however  humble,  will  yet  afford  me  the  means  of 
giving  him  bread ;  and  which  I  now  no  more  expect  him 
to  gain  himself  than  I  should  do  had  it  pleased  God  to 
bring  him  an  idiot  into  the  world.  My  obligations,  in 


FAMILY   DISTRESS.  597 

that  event,  could  not  be  greater  to  maintain  him  than  it 
is  at  present ;  indeed,  the  most  hopeless  idiot  has  no 
more  claims  on  a  mother's  care  and  solicitude  than  he ; 
for  I  firmly  believe  he  has  no  longer  the  power  to  refrain 
from  drink ;  and  did  I  not  guard  him,  even  to  the  pres 
ervation  and  custody  of  his  own  clothes,  he  would  be 
stripped  at  once ;  yet  he  is  to  me  as  docile  as  a  lamb,  and 
I  have  placed  him  with  a  poor  but  excellent  woman,  who 
boards  him  for  three  dollars  and  a  half  a  week.  I  can 
not  trust  him  with  money,  though  certainly  there  never 
was  a  more  devotedly  affectionate  son.  Harman  feels 
just  as  I  do,  and  were  I  on  my  death-bed  I  should  not 
fear  to  resign  to  him  the  care  of  his  unfortunate  brother. 
*  *  *  *  Should  you  return  next  month, 

as  your  letter  to  Mr.  Emmett  mentions,  I  shall  hope  we 
may  return  to  Canada.  If  your  expectations  are  suffi 
ciently  encouraging  to  detain  you  in  London  on  this  law 
writ,  and  should  you  be  successful  even  in  gaining  a  fair 
compromise,  I  trust  we  shall  soon  be  able  to  go  to  you ; 
for,  let  our  situation  be  what  it  may,  never  can  I  think 
of  ending  my  days  in  this  country.  Mr.  Emmett  is  in 
"Washington,  but  Mrs.  E.  showed  me  your  letter,  which 
she  will  retain  until  his  return,  which  is  expected  in  a 
fortnight.  To  tell  you  how  I  love  this  family  would  be 
impossible.  It  grieves  me,  therefore,  to  say  that  I  think 
they  are  somewhat  embarrassed,  at  present,  in  their  cir 
cumstances.  They  lost  their  fine  son,  Temple,*  last 
autumn,  who  died  of  the  yellow  fever,  on  board  of  the 
Macedonian.  *****  * 


*  The  two  sons  of  Thomas  Addis  Emmett  were  called  after  his  brothers 
Temple  and  Robert. 


598  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

I  have  written  a  long  letter,  that  you  may  never  re 
ceive  ;  hut  I  trust,  if  not,  you  will  he  on  the  water  on 
your  return.  My  mind  seems  huoyed  up  now  for  hap 
piness,  and  whether  poverty  or  affluence  awaits  us,  every 
effort  of  my  declining  years  shall  be  used  to  make  yours 
pass  with  as  little  uneasiness  as  can  he  expected  to  await 
on  old  age  and  disappointed  hopes.  For  my  part,  for 
upward  of  eight  months,  I  have  endured  too  much  to 
look  forward  without  hope  to  the  future  that  will  restore 
you  to 

Your  affectionate,  M.  BLENNERHASSETT. 


From  Col.  Archibald  Henderson  to  Mrs.  Blennerhassett. 

WASHINGTON,  Jan.  7#A,  1823. 

MY  DEAR  MADAM  : — I  do  not  know  when  I  have  received 
a  letter  which  has  conveyed  to  my  mind  such  strong  rec 
ollections  of  mingled  pleasure  and  pain.  It  has  irre 
sistibly  carried  me  hack  to  the  period  when,  under  your 
hospitable  roof,  I  received  every  attention  of  hospitality 
and  kindness ;  it  was  my  debut  in  life.  I  have  often 
spoke,  and  far  often er  thought,  of  the  halo  that  was 
thrown  over  my  monotony  of  existence,  in  that  wild 
country,  by  my  visits  at  the  beautiful  and  isolated  spot  of 
your  former  residence.  I  must,  however,  cease  to  write 
on  this  subject.  As  long  as  my  heart  beats  and  feels,  I 
shall  never  forget  your  kindness  ;  I  therefore  need  not 
say  with  how  much  alacrity  and  anxiety  I  took  your  let 
ter  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  and  how  much  pleasure 
it  gives  me  to  communicate  to  you  that  he  has  the  good- 


FRIENDSHIP.  599 

ness  to  consent  that  Dorriinick  may  go,  as  a  volunteer 
surgeon's  mate,  in  this  piratical  expedition,  with  the  usual 
pay  and  emoluments.  No  appointments  can  be  now 
made,  and  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  will  not  pledge 
himself  as  to  any  future  appointment;  I  therefore  hope, 
my  dear  madam,  you  will  he  satisfied  with  what  has  been 
procured.  I  spoke  to  Mr.  Dickinson  on  the  subject  last 
night ;  he  will  enforce  all  future  arrangements. 

Dominick  had  better  come  here  as  soon  as  possible, 
and  bring  his  trunk  to  my  house.  As  Mr.  Blennerhas- 
sett  is  away,  I  hope  I  may  take  the  liberty,  which  grati 
tude  for  former  kindness  now  induces  me  to  take,  to  offer 
my  young  friend  any  assistance  Ije  may  require  in  com 
ing  on  to  Washington,  and  any  draft  for  that  purpose,  I 
hope  he  will  not  hesitate  to  make  on  me.  I  trust  you 
will  excuse  me  if  I  feel  over-anxious  ;  't  is  my  gratitude 
alone. that  prompts  it. 

I  now  conclude,  assuring  you  that  I  feel  every  solici 
tude  in  serving  you  and  yours,  and  I  beg  you  to  believe 
me,  with  gratitude  and  truth, 

Sincerely  yours,  ARCH.  HENDERSON. 


Col.  Archibald  Henderson  to  Mrs.  Blennerhassett. 

WASHINGTON,  Jan.  20th,  1823. 

MY  DEAR  MADAM  : — Dominick  arrived  a  few  days  ago, 
and  is  awaiting  the  arrival  of  Captain  Porter,  who  is 
daily  expected  here  to  proceed  on  the  service  that  has 
been  marked  out  for  him.  It  is  fortunate  some  little 
delay  has  taken  place,  as  he  is  somewhat  indisposed  from 


600  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

the  fatigue  of  traveling,  and  will  not  prevent  his  joining 
the  expedition  on  which  he  is  to  proceed. 

I  should  have  sooner  answered  your  kind  letter  of  the 
llth,  but  thought  it  better  to  wait  until  he  had  left  me 
for  Norfolk ;  but  as  that  may  not  be  the  case  for  several 
days,  I  have  concluded  to  write  lest  you  might  feel  some 
anxiety  at  not  hearing. 

Your  indisposition,  I  hope,  may  be  evanescent.  You 
rate  entirely  too  high  the  trifling  service  it  has  been  in 
my  power  to  do  you.  It  is  indeed  trifling  when  compared 
with  that  received  by  me  from  you  and  yours.  I  shall 
carry  the  recollection  of  it  with  me  "to  that  bourn 
whence  no  traveler  returns."  I  am  much  of  a  wanderer 
still,  and  I  may  yet  hope  to  meet  you  in  this  world. 
Should  Mr.  B.  still  reside  in  Canada,  I  shall  probably  see 
you  next  summer,  as  I  have  it  in  contemplation  to  de 
scend  the  lakes  to  Montreal.  This  world,  however,  is 
full  of  change ;  it  may  therefore  be  our  fate  never  again 
to  meet  here,  but  I  sincerely  wish  that  your  decline  of 
life  may  be  less  checkered  than  its  spring  and  summer 
have  been  ;  that  it  may  be  rendered  happy,  and  that  the 
scions  which  are  growing  up  around  the  parent  tree,  may 
invigorate,  support  and  comfort  it,  until  it  is  cut  down 
by  the  same  hand  that  planted  and  caused  it  to  grow. 

I  will  write  again  when  Dominick  leaves  me,  and,  in 
the  mean  time,  beg  you  to  believe  me  with  sincere  regards 
Yours,  A.  HENDERSON. 

In  a  subsequent  letter,  dated  Montreal,  September  12th, 
1823,  Mrs.  Blennerhassett  continues  her  narrative  : 

I  had  no  money,  having  for  some  weeks  paid  my  way 


PARENTAL    REGRET.  601 

by  borrowing  from  Mr.  Emmett ;  because,  having  looked 
for  you  by  the  spring  ships,  I  wished  not  to  encumber 
the  Montreal  bank  stock.  The  whole  expenses  of  the 
family  stood  me  in  about  sixteen  dollars  per  week.  I 
found  I  could  do  nothing  in  the  States,  arid,  upon  the 
advice  of  Rossiter,  concluded  to  return  to  Montreal.  The 
Emmetts,  with  whom  I  consulted,  agreed  with  me  as  to 
the  propriety  of  the  measure ;  for  New  York  was  then 
becoming  objectionable,  on  account  of  the  extreme  heat, 
and  they  were  about  removing  to  the  country.  They 
having  invited  me  to  accompany  them,  I  accepted  their 
kindness,  and  did  so,  taking  Lewis  with  me,  to  remain  a 
week.  Before  leaving,  however,  I  told  Dominick  that  1 
must  now  think  of  his  father,  who  had  nothing,  and  of 
the  other  children,  and  that  he  must  maintain  himself. 
Having  remained  a  week  in  the  country,  where  every 
attention  was  paid  me  by  the  family  in  the  most  affec 
tionate  manner,  I  returned  to  the  city.  Having  received 
the  money  for  two  shares  of  m}^  bank  stock,  which 
Robert  sold,  I  paid  my  debts,  and  leaving  Harman  with 
my  necessary  baggage,  and  money  sufficient  to  maintain 
him  until  your  arrival,  my  last  severe  task  yet  remained 
to  see  and  bid  adieu  to  my  unfortunate,  though  still 
dearly  loved  son.  Harinan  sought  him  out,  and  found 
him  already  enlisted !  brought  him  to  me  at  the  Steam 
boat  Hotel,  dressed  in  a  common  soldier's  garb,  but  quite 
happy  and  unconcerned.  O  God !  had  I  been  guilty  of 
the  greatest  crime,  the  punishment  of  that  moment 
ought  to  have  expiated  it ;  but  the  subject  is  too  painful 
to  dwell  upon;  I  will  only  add,  that  he  went  with  a  de 
tachment  up  the  Mississippi,  and  is  now,  I  believe,  acting 


602  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

as  surgeon's  mate,  and,  as  yet,  I  have  received  no  com 
munication  from  him.* 

Lewis  and  I  had  a  safe,  and,  had  I  been  happy,  an 
agreeable  journey.  At  Albany  we  received  the  kind 
attentions  of  Major  Smith  and  family,  and  arrived  at  La 
Prairie,  where  we  awaited  our  friend  Rossiter,  to  whom 
I  had  previously  written  to  have  lodgings  prepared  for 
us.  Having  remained  here  during  the  night,  and  Ros 
siter  failing  to  arrive  as  early  as  I  expected,  we  crossed 
over  without  really  knowing  where  we  should  go.  But 
he  met  us  on  the  bank,  on  his  way  to  us,  and  conducted 
us  to  the  residence  of  Mrs.  Turnstall,  who  had  insisted 
on  my  stopping  with  her.  Her  reception  was  truly  affec 
tionate,  and  seemed  quite  hurt  that  I  would  not  consent 
to  remain  longer  than  two  days.  Rossiter  accompanied 
me  to  see  several  houses  which  he  had  examined,  but 
would  not  engage  until  I  came.  I,  after  some  hesitation, 
finally  fixed  upon  the  one  I  am  now  in.  It  was  in  bad 
order,  but  has  attached  to  the  lot  a  good  garden,  which 
to  me,  who  desire  to  live  retired,  is  the  greatest  acquisi 
tion.  The  rent  being  but  £20  per  year,  determined  me  to 
fix  myself  here  rather  than  in  a  lodging  where  boarding 
for  Lewis  and  myself  could  not  be  obtained  for  less  than 
ten  dollars  per  week.  You  know  that  I  must  have  one 
servant  any  how,  and  one  is  all  that  I  have  now.  Mar 
keting  is  cheap,  being  now  lower  by  half  than  when  you 
were  here.  But,  after  all,  the  prospect  of  having  a  home, 

*  This  unfortunate  youth  afterward  was  found  in  a  state  of  destitution 
in  the  streets  of  New  Orleans,  by  Nathaniel  Cox,  Esq.,  an  acquaintance 
of  the  family,  who  procured  for  him  a  situation  in  the  Charity  Hospital, 
as  assistant  apothecary.  He  remained  for  a  short  time,  when  he  left  for 
St.  Louis,  since  which  his  fate  is  unknown. 


ANXIETY.  603 

though  ever  so  humble,  to  receive  you,  was  the  chief 
inducement  to  my  determination.  This,  however,  like 
all  my  visions  of  hope,  has  faded.  I  see  plainly  that  you 
are  never  to  return  here ;  nor  can  I  say  that  I  would  wish 
it,  unless  as  a  judge,  for  I  am  well  assured  that  you  would 
not  again  get  practice  as  a  lawyer,  the  idea  having  be 
come  prevalent  that  you  are  not  versed  in  French  law.  I 
fear  there  is  no  chance  for  your  promotion  to  the  judge- 
ship,  unless  the  Marquis  of  Anglesey  would  write  to  Lord 
Dalhousie  for  his  recommendation  to  Lord  Bathurst,  as  I 
am  well  informed  that  all  recommendations  must  pro 
ceed,  in  the  first  instance,  from  the  Commander-in-chief, 
and  I  fear  the  interest  of  Sir  J.  Gordon  Sinclair  may  not 
be  enough  with  the  Governor,  as  he  and  the  Richmond 
faction  were  at  variance.  I  wish,  therefore,  that  you 
would  make  this  last  effort  with  Lord  Anglesey,  as  I 
firmly  believe  it  is  the  only  one  that  can  serve  you. 
Should  it  fail,  then  turn  your  thoughts  to  something  at 
home,  I  care  not  what,  if  it  will  only  furnish  us  bread. 
But  to  be  parted  from  you  I  can  not  longer  bear ;  and  if 
being  with  you  should  have  the  effect  of  injuring  either 
your  interest  or  reputation,  then  let  me  be  lodged  some 
where  in  obscurity,  where  I  may  sometimes  see  you ;  and, 
in  the  event  of  Lewis's  being  in  the  navy,  give  me  the 
chance  of  seeing  and  hearing  from  him  occasionally. 

As  to  your  coming  in  December,  't  is  utterly  out  of  the 
question  ;  and  should  you,  to  my  surprise,  obtain  the 
appointment  you  seek,  it  can  not  be  before  next  June. 
We  must  winter  here  at  all  events,  during  which  time  I 
hope  to  hear  from  you  again.  My  situation  at  present  is 
alarming.  I  have  only  six  shares  remaining  in  bank, 


604  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

after  the  utmost  economy.  'T  is  true  I  have  furnished 
my  house,  though  humbly,  and  paid  three  months  rent 
in  advance,  and  have  also  one  hundred  dollars  by  me; 
but  what  is  this?  I  had  resolved,  before  I  received  your 
letter,  to  commence,  at  the  expiration  of  the  term  now 
paid  for,  in  a  larger  dwelling,  and  keep  a  boarding-house, 
which,  from  the  reduced  rents,  cheap  markets,  and  high 
rate  of  board,  might  have,  at  least,  maintained  us,  if  it 
did  not  prove  profitable.  But  now  I  can  not  degrade 
myself  while  their  is  a  hope  remaining  of  your  success. 

I  have  been  treated  with  the  greatest  attention  by  all 
our  former  acquaintances,  and  visited  a  great  deal,  but, 
of  course,  do  not  entertain,  nor  is  it  expected  of  me ; 
while  a  few  friends  call  without  ceremony,  and  I  assure 
you  I  am  now  so  pleased  with  Montreal,  that  could  you 
return  I  would  never  wish  to  leave  it.  *  *  * 

*  *  ****** 

To  say  how  ardently  Lewis  loves  you  is  impossible. 
Your  very  name  fills  the  dear  creature's  eyes  with  tears. 
Though  the  first  mention  of  his  going  into  the  navy  gave 
him  great  delight,  still  the  thought  of  leaving  me  caused 
him  much  pain.  By  degrees,  however,  I  have  gained  his 
consent,  and  although  he  has  long  been,  and  is  still,  my 
greatest  consolation,  I  nevertheless  will  give  him  up  to 
one  whom  I  feel  worthy  of  the  trust.  Tell  H.,  then,  he 
shall  have  him. 

Could  he  see  me  at  the  moment  I  write  the  fiat  that  will 
tear  me  from  my  idolized  child,  while  memory  reverts  to 
the  days  of  his  own  infancy,  when,  with  my  dear  aunt 
and  uncle  De  Coursey,  I  passed  many  a  happy  day  in 
the  same  house  with  him  and  dear  little  Michael  (Ann 


HARDSHIPS.  605 

was  not  born  at  Reese),  I  say,  could  lie,  or  any  of  those 
friends  who  fondly  recall  me  to  their  recollection,  but  see 
my  present  suffering,  what  a  flood  of  sympathy  would 
overwhelm  me  !  But  I  am  glad  they  do  not ;  it  is  better 
that  I  suffer  alone.  My  dear  aunt  Avice !  how  joyfully 
would  I  watch  over  her  feeble  health,  and  share  with  her 
the  cares  and  anxieties  for  the  sick  and  suffering  Ad 
miral  !  I  was  much  gratified  to  hear  from  you  that  she 
intends  writing;  but  am  I  still  to  be  an  exile?  'T  is 
hard ;  and  if  my  present  afflictions  continue,  I  feel  that 
I  can  not  long  live.  *  *  *  * 

*  *  *  ***** 

Farewell !     I  am  perfectly  miserable  at  this  long  sepa 
ration.     When,  when  will  it  ever  end? 
Your  affectionate  wife, 

MARG'T  BLENNERHASSETT 

In  the  mean  time,  Blennerhassett,  having  abandoned 
the  hope  of  recovering  the  estates  in  Ireland,  set  him 
self  industriously  to  work  to  procure  an  office  under  the 
English  Government.  From  the  correspondence  which 
follows,  it  appears  that,  such  were  his  necessities,  he  was 
willing  to  accept  almost  any  position  promising  subsist 
ence  for  his  family.  He  had  been  severed  from  his  former 
pursuits ;  his  fortune  entirely  expended  ;  and  now,  a  waif 
upon  the  sea  of  life,  he  shuddered  to  look  forward  to  the 
future,  while  the  past  was  a  troubled  dream  of  disap 
pointed  expectation.  The  hour,  however,  had  arrived  for 
a  sublime  but  terrible  contest  for  existence.  To  falter 
were  to  perish;  to  be  resolute,  perchance  victorious. 
Connected  with  the  then-existing  Government,  were 


606  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

many  of  his  early  classmates,  and  several  distinguished 
dignitaries,  related  by  the  ties  of  consanguinity  ;  from  the 
latter  of  whom,  at  least,  he  conceived  he  had  the  right  to 
expect  promotion.  From  a  mass  of  correspondence  of 
the  same  character,  during  a  period  of  several  years,  I 
have  selected  the  following  letters  as  conveying  an  intel 
ligible  idea  of  his  struggles  and  reverses,  as  well  as  of 
those  with  whom  fate  had  linked  his  destiny: 

To  the  Marquis  of  Anglesey.* 

LONDON,  October  I6th,  1822. 

MY  LORD  : — I  beg  to  accompany  the  letter,  intended 
to  be  communicated  to  Lord  Bathurst,  according  to 
your  Lordship's  obliging  suggestions,  made  to  me  at 


*  The  Marquis  of  Anglesey,  who  was  born  in  1768,  was  eldest  son  of  the  late 
Earl  of  TJxbridge;  and,  after  studying  at  Oxford,  was  appointed,  in  1793, 
when  Lord  Paget,  to  the  command  of  a  regiment  he  had  raised  among  his  fa 
ther's  tenantry.  He  served  with  this  corps,  under  the  Duke  of  York,  in  Flan 
ders,  and  again  in  the  British  expedition  to  Holland,  in  1799.  He  had  risen 
to  the  rank  of  Major-General,  when  he  joined  Sir  John  Moore's  army  in  the 
Peninsula,  and  assisted  in  the  retreat  of  Corunna  and  the  battle  there, 
January  16,  1809,  where  Moore  was  killed.  He  was  married,  in  1795,  to 
a  daughter  of  the  Earl  of  Jersey,  by  whom  he  had  eight  children;  but, 
soon  after  his  return  from  Portugal,  figured  as  defendant  in  a  crim.  con. 
suit,  in  which  the  plaintiff  was  Wellesley,  brother  to  "the  Duke,"  and 
created  Lord  Cowley,  in  1828.  who  recovered  twenty  thousand  pounds 
sterling  damages.  The  result  was,  a  double  divorce :  Lady  Paget  from 
him  (she  afterward  married  the  late  Duke  of  Argyle),  and  Mr.  Wellesley 
from  his  guilty  wife,  n€e  Lady  Charlotte  Codogan.  Lord  Paget  married 
the  frail  fair  in  1810,  and  they  had  a  large  family ;  two  of  their  sons  were 
members  of  the  British  House  of  Commons,  in  1854.  The  trial  and  its  reve 
lations  gave  much  unenviable  notoriety  to  Lord  Paget.  He  is  alluded  to 
by  Byron  in  the  line, 

"  And,  worst  of  all,  a  Paget  for  your  wife ; " 

and  Moore,  albeit  little  of  a  moralist,  thus  had  his  fling,  in  a  didactic  poem 
called  "  The  Sceptic,"  a  philosophical  satire : 


607 

Beau  Desert,  on  the  10th  inst.,  with  an  explanation  of 
the  motives  that  urged  rne  to  resort  to  the  severe  neces 
sity  of  leaving  my  family  in  America  for  the  purpose  of 
personally  soliciting  your  Lordship's  interest  in  behalf 
of  my  labors  to  serve  the  Government,  as  you  had  made 
one  already,  without  effect,  to  recommend  me  to  the  Colo 
nial  Department. 

The  proud  distinction  of  your  Lordship's  patronage 
once  conferred  upon  me,  although  unsuccessful,  sunk 
deep  into  the  grateful  hearts  of  an  embarrassed  family, 


"  Paget,  who  sees  upon  his  pillow  laid 
A  face  for  which  ten  thousand  pounds  were  paid, 
Can  tell  how  quick,  before  a  jury,  flies 
The  spell  that  mocked  the  warm  seducer's  eyes." 

Many  years  subsequently,  when  he  had  become  Viceroy  of  Ireland, 
the  Irish  ladies  declined  visiting  his  wife;  and  having  caused  the 
arrest  of  O'Connell,  on  a  charge  of  seditious  language,  the  orator,  in 
another  speech,  said :  "  He  has  caused  my  wife  to  weep.  Does  he 
know  the  value  of  a  virtuous  woman's  tear?-  In  1812,  -Lord  Paget 
succeeded  his  father  as  Earl  of  Uxbridge.  He  had  a  cavalry  command 
at  Waterloo;  and  having  lost  a  leg,  was  created  Marquis  of  Anglesey. 
In  1820,  he  voted  for  the  bill  of  Pains  and  Penalties  against  Queen  Caro 
line.  In  February,  1828,  "  the  Duke,"  who  had  just  become  Premier,  sent 
him  to  Ireland  as  Viceroy ;  and  his  conduct  there  was  generally  impartial. 
But  in  December,  1828,  having  received  a  letter  from  Dr.  Curlis,  the  Cath 
olic  Primate,  which  the  Duke  of  Wellington  had  written  to  him,  suggesting 
that  the  Catholic  claims  be  "  buried  in  oblivion"  for  a  time,  Lord  Anglesey 
wrote  back  an  epistle,  which  was  published,  recommending  the  continued 
agitation  of  the  question.  This  gave  great  offense  to  George  IV,  who  had 
become  tired  of  eternal  discussion  on  Catholic  wrongs,  and  the  writer  was 
recalled.  Two  months  after,  the  final  settlement  of  the  question  was  rec 
ommended  in  the  King's  Speech  at  the  commencement  of  the  Parliament 
ary  Session.  Soon  after,  he  was  again  made  Viceroy  of  Ireland,  and  so 
continued  until  September,  1833.  But  his  latter  reign  was  not  popular. 
He  has  held  other  high  offices  connected  with  the  army,  and  was  the  Senior 
Field-Marshal  in  the  British  army,  in  1854,  then  in  his  eighty-sixth  year. — 
Mackenzie. 


608  IIIE    BLENNERHASSETT    PAPERS. 

and  shed  a  ray  of  cheering  hope  upon  the  gloom  of  their 
despondency  that  the  generous  impulse  which  had  before 
determined  your  Lordship  to  desire  that  relief,  would  not 
now  abandon  their  head,  whose  honor  and  character, 
however,  stood  as  high  as  when  they  enjoyed  your  Lord 
ship's  esteem  in  early  life. 

The  authority  given  to  me  to  make  my  suit  through 
your  Lordship  to  Earl  Bathurst,  and  the  condescending 
attentions  ordered  to  be  shown  to  me  at  Beau  Desert, 
fully  confirm  your  Lordship's  desire,  at  least,  to  benefit 
me.  Under  such  auspices,  I  can  not  anticipate  disap 
pointment;  while,  for  myself,  my  views  extend  not  be 
yond  the  acquisition  of  a  pittance  on  which  I  could  sub 
sist  any  where,  after  devoting  the  residue  of  my  official 
salary  to  the  maintenance  of  my  family,  if  I  could  not 
remove  them  from  Canada,  where  there  is  now  a  judicial 
vacancy  in  the  District  of  Montreal.  I  would  accept  a 
situation  in  India,  or  any  other  part  of  the  world,  or  even 
one  I  should  dislike  of  all  others,  that  of  Assistant  Bar 
rister  of  Quarter  Sessions  in  Ireland,  in  preference  of 
which  I  would  as  soon  choose  an  agency  to  any  estate 
that  would  maintain  me. 

In  so  wide  a  range  to  seek  employment,  the  generous 
disposition  of  your  Lordship,  already  manifested,  to  assist 
me  in  Canada,  can  not  fail  to  succeed,  if  exerted,  while  I 
am  in  the  way  to  avail  myself  of  the  opportunity.  Hence 
it  is  that  I  have  left  my  family  in  the  most  painful  anxiety 
to  learn  the  result  of  my  endeavors  in  England,  of  which 
a  total  failure  would  result  in  hopeless  ruin. 

Having  had  an  opportunity  of  knowing  that  a  person 
in  America,  over  whom  I  possess  some  influence,  is  about 


THE  MOTHER!  609 

to  publish  a  volume  under  the  title  of  "  Secret  Memoirs 
of  her  Serene  Highness  the  Duchess  of  Quedlinburg,"  a 
near  relative  of  his  Majesty,  containing  original  letters 
of  rather  a  scandalous  character,  addressed  to  a  Col.  Staf 
ford,  Chamberlain  to  the  Duke  of  Brunswick,  of  the  first 
eight  of  which  I  have  copies  here,  a  publication  which 
probably  the  King  would  not  wish  to  appear,  I  had 
thought  it  my  duty  to  engage  the  proprietor  of  these 
letters  to  suspend  his  intended  publication  until  I  could 
endeavor  to  ascertain  the  King's  pleasure  on  the  subject. 
Presuming  your  Lordship  will  approve  of  the  principle 
of  loyal  concern  for  his  Majesty's  fame,  for  which  I  have 
interfered  in  this  matter,  I  beg  your  Lordship's  direction 
to  guide  me  in  controlling  the  proprietor  of  these  letters, 
or  leaving  him  to  take  his  course.  The  copies  in  my  pos 
session  are,  if  desired,  at  your  Lordship's  orders.  The  au 
thenticity  of  the  whole  can  be  established,  and  an  English 
translation  is  intended,  with  the  French  originals  annexed. 
I  beg  to  apologize  for  having  so  long  trespassed  upon 
your  Lordship's  leisure ;  and  with  assurances  of  the  most 
profound  esteem  and  heartfelt  gratitude,  pray  to  be  con 
sidered,  my  Lord, 

Your  Lordship's  faithful  and  obedient  servant, 

HARMAN  BLENNERHASSETT. 


To  JBlennerhassett. 

MONTREAL,  January  3d,  1824. 

MY  DEAR  HUSBAND  : — Let  me  flatter  myself  that,  hav 
ing,  as  I  hope,  received  my  last  two  letters,  written  since 
39 


610  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

I  received  yours  inclosing  the  gift  from  my  aunt,  this, 
penned  at  the  commencement  of  a  new  year,  may  find 
you  more  cheerful  than  myself,  though  my  situation  is  in 
no  way  changed,  and  we  are  all  well.  But,  it  having  heen 
so  long  since  we  have  heard  from  you,  and  dreading  the 
delays  of  the  approaching  season,  my  spirits  have  become 
exceedingly  depressed.  You  must  not  forget  that  if  I  am 
condemned  to  live  separated  from  you,  my  only  solace  is 
in  your  frequent  letters.  If  I  am  not  permitted,  as  the  last 
comfort  of  my  declining  life,  to  watch  over  yours,  let  me, 
at  least,  know  that  you  are  well,  and  I  shall  not  murmur. 
I  trust,  therefore,  you  will  not  again  condemn  me  to  the 
anxieties  of  a  six  months'  silence. 

My  last  letter  was  forwarded  several  days  since,  by  New 
York,  and  I  now  avail  myself  of  the  opportunity  of  send 
ing,  by  Mr.  David,  the  Jew,  who  sets  out  for  London  in 
two  days,  trusting  that  some  of  my  letters,  at  least,  may 
reach  you. 

I  am  told  here  that  any  young  man  may  get  into 
the  marines,  through  naval  interposition ;  and  as  a  war 
seems  approaching,  and  poor  Harman  has  no  prospect  of 
a  maintenance  but  what  I  may  afford:  him,  I  wish  you  to 
exert  yourself  among  our  relatives  to  accomplish  this,  if 
possible.  Could  we  succeed  in  getting  a  situation  for  him, 
and  should  you  fail  in  procuring  one  for  yourself,  we  might 
still  provide  for  the  education  of  Lewis,  so  as  to  fit  him 
in  turn  for  some  one  of  the  useful  occupations  of  life.  If 
I  have  been  misinformed  as  to  the  facilities  of  getting  into 
the  marine  corps,  I  wish  to  be  advised  as  to  conditions 
under  which  an  applicant  can  enter  without  such  inter 
position  as  my  kind  friend,  Mrs.  T ,  would  endeavor 


611 

to  get  her  younger  son  into  that  service,  and  could  I  be 
lieve,  if  necessary,  purchase  in.  If  I  have  harbored  false 
hopes  for  Harman,  darken  them  at  once  rather  than  keep 
me  in  suspense. 

I  have  been  very  much  alarmed,  since  I  last  wrote,  for  the 
fate  of  our  friend  Rossiter,  who  has  been  confined  these  last 
five  weeks  with  a  liver  complaint,  which  brought  him  to 
the  brink  of  the  grave.  He  is  now,  however,  nearly  recov 
ered,  although  it  will  be  some  time  before  he  can  get  out. 

5JI  >£****** 

By  the  time  this  reaches  you  I  suppose  our  old  friend 
Devereux  will  be  in  London.  He  is  now  in  Washington, 
the  received  ambassador  from  the  Colombian  Republic. 
His  laurels  have  been  dearly  won.  I  would  give  much 
to  see  him,  but  that  is  impossible.  However,  I  think 
that,  should  you  see  his  name  announced  in  London,  it 
might  be  worth  while  to  go  and  see  him,  as  he  could  cer 
tainly  do  something  for  Harman,  should  what  I  have 
before  proposed  fail.  You  know  my  disposition  too  well 
to  wonder  at  the  solicitude  I  feel  for  my  child;  and,  even 
if  my  efforts  should  all  prove  fruitless,  it  will  still  be  a 
cause  of  consolation  to  know  that  I  have  done  all  in  my 
power  to  serve  him. 

I  have  promised  you  some  pleasing  intelligence  in  my 
last  two  letters,  which  I  hope  and  believe  I  shall  soon  be 
able  to  communicate ;  but  the  time  for  it  has  not  yet 
arrived ;  when  it  does,  be  assured  that  no  pleasure  could 
be  much  to  me  without  your  participation. 

The  winter  here  is  very  severe ;  but  I  find  so  much 
more  comfort  than  I  did  last  season,  in  Kew  York,  that, 
while  I  can  live,  I  will  not  repine,  and  trust  you  will  fol- 


612  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

low  my  example.  Say  every  thing  for  me  to  my  dear 
friends  who  kindly  interest  themselves  in  my  behalf. 
God  only  knows  whether  ever  again  I  shall  see  them  or 
be  permitted  to  enjoy  any  friendship,  other  than  that  of 
strangers,  yet  for  this  I  am  not  unthankful.  There  are 
some  of  these,  even,  who  are  unremitting  in  their  kind 
ness.  While  from  what  is  called  society,  that  is,  parties, 
I  am  excluded,  as  I  must  necessarily  be,  both  from  my 
situation  and  inclinations,  yet,  I  am  seldom  alone,  and 
continue  to  take  exercise  enough  for  health,  as  severe  as 
the  season  is.  This  is  the  first  winter  for  nine  years  that 
I  have  escaped  a  cold,  or  have  not  suffered  from  a  return 
of  my  breast  complaint.  It  is  certainly  cause  for  thank 
fulness,  as  a  similar  attack  to  that  of  last  winter  would 
rob  my  dear  Lewis  of  his  only  protection. 

Adieu  !  my  dear  husband.     Take  care  of  yourself,  and 
some  happiness  may  yet  be  in  store  for 

Your  wife,  M.  BLENNERHASSETT. 


To  Nev.  de   Courcy. 
(PRIVATE    AND    CONFIDENTIAL.) 

STOKETON  HOUSE,  March  29^,  1824. 

MY  DEAR  NEV.  : — How  fully  I  am  persuaded  your  anx 
iety  to  serve  me  is  solicitous  to  consider  the  best  means 
of  availing  yourself  of  such  opportunities  to  do  so,  as 
this,  your  second  visit  to  Portugal,  may  offer,  I  will  leave 
to  futurity  to  evince  through  the  grateful  affection  of  a 
distressed  family,  whose  head  is  already  devoted  to  you. 
If,  therefore,  you  have  acceded  to  my  wish  in  accepting 


POLITICS.  613 

the  offer  I  have  made  you,  to  put  on  paper  my  views  of 
the  best  means  of  succeeding  for  me,  you  will  not  im 
agine  that  in  so  doing  I  have  any  purpose,  either  to 
stimulate  your  zeal  or  to  induce  you  t )  substitute  my 
judgment  and  policy  for  your  own,  in  scenes  and  circum 
stances  of  which  you  will  be  able  to  judge  on  the  spot, 
but  which  I  can  only  estimate  through,  perhaps,  a  delu 
sive  medium  at  a  distance.  If  the  suggestions  I  am 
about  to  present  to  you  should  be  sanctioned  by  the 
results  of  your  own  observation,  or  modified  by  the  char 
acters  and  circumstances  that  you  will  be  concerned  with, 
an  occasional  review  of  the  former  may  not,  however,  be 
quite  useless  as  a  sort  of  chart  on  which  you  may  prick 
off  your  course,  not  so  much  by  the  bearings  and  dis 
tances  I  have  set  down,  as  by  the  winds  and  currents  of 
party  and  intrigue  you  may  be  affected  by  in  the  voyage. 

Without  further  preamble,  then,  I  conceive  the  means 
of  effecting  my  introduction  into  the  civil  service  of  the 
Portuguese  Government  can  only  be  obtained  through 
the  patronage  of  the  actual  minister,  whether  Pampeluna 
or  any  other.  "Without  such  a  passport  it  will  be  in  vain 
to  linger  in  the  confidence  which  even  the  King's  prom 
ises  may  inspire,  or  the  assurances  his  other  courtiers 
may  profess ;  the  former  can  never  be  realized  without 
the  fiat  of  the  minister  ;  the  influence  and  sincerity  of  the 
latter  must  submit  to  the  same  test. 

The  best  affections  of  a  monarch,  situated  as  is  John 
VI,  must  ever  be  confined  to  the  royal  breast,  powerless 
and  inert,  until  the  minister  shall  become  the  conductor 
between  them  and  the  object  to  which  they  are  directed. 
Hence  arises  the  necessity  of  engaging  the  minister's  in- 


614  THE  BLEXNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

terest,  at  a  period  early  enough  to  prevent  his  suspicion 
of  neglect.  But  upon  what  terms,  i.  e.,  through  the  in 
sinuation  of  what  future  return,  on  the  part  of  the  candi 
date,  is  the  first  question  of  either  doubt  or  difficulty  that 
presents  itself?  Kow,  whatever  may  be  your  views  or 
policy  of  the  minister,  I  should  not  hesitate  to  pledge 
myself  to  espouse  them  all,  subject  to  the  proviso  that 
nothing  therein  tended  to  the  detriment  of  his  Majesty. 
Ever  alive  to  the  influence  of  this  sentiment,  I  should 
make  no  compromise,  nor  hold  any  interview  with  the 
party  of  the  Queen  or  Don  Miguel,  even  if  I  could  in 
trigue  for  my  object  through  their  influence.  But  to  a 
candidate,  circumstanced  as  I  am,  there  can  be  no  great 
difficulty  in  choosing  between  the  French  and  English 
parties  at  court,  should  such  an  election  become  neces 
sary.  In  the  present  state  of  Portugal,  which,  politically, 
if  not  commercially  speaking,  must,  under  continental 
contact,  yield  to  the  destinies  of  Spain,  I  could  conscien 
tiously  enlist  under  the  banners  of  the  shortest  side, 
which  I  would  endeavor  accurately  to  ascertain  before 
hand.  So  far  this  outline  is  made  to  include  advances  to 
foreign  ministers,  as  well  as  Pampeluna,  especially  the 
French  and  Russian,  whose  interest  ought,  at  the  same 
time,  to  be  early  courted.  When  it  is  represented  to  all 
these  personages  that  the  candidate,  who  had  already 
obtained  some  royal  notice  of  the  recommendation  which 
the  King  has  favorably  received  of  him,  is  qualified  as  a 
jurist  and  a  scholar  to  serve  his  Majesty  in  any  diplo 
matic  or  judicial  office;  and  you  may  add,  if  every  thing 
else  fails,  as  a  forlorn  hope,  "  in  an  ecclesiastical  charac 
ter,"  that  in  Europe  or  America  he  would  strenuously 


IN   EXTREMIS  !  615 

and  ably  advance  the  best  interest  of  his  patrons  in  a 
diplomatic  character,  etc. 

I  trust  it  is  not  too  much  to  expect,  that  if  your  exer 
tions  should  overreach  their  farthest  aim,  they  will  not 
altogether  fall  short  without  reaching  some  intermediate 
point  between  total  failure  and  success,  where  I  may  find 
myself  once  entered  upon  some  station  in  which  I  may 
subsist  until  I  can  thence  work  out  promotion.  I  will 
exemplify  my  meaning  here  by  observing,  that  I  should 
not  deem  it  disparagement  of  the  condition  I  derive  from 
my  ancestry  and  profession,  of  which  even  poverty  must 
not  divest  me,  to  accept  any  situation,  any  where,  not 
even  excepting  Angela,  which  was  not  beneath  the  rank 
of  a  consul  or  collector.  As  to  location,  my  preference 
would  be  first  in  Europe,  next  in  America,  any  where 
preferable  to  the  United  States,  where,  being  obnoxious 
as  a  persecuted  supporter  heretofore  of  legitimate  mon 
archy,  I  could  not  so  easily  fill  all  the  duties  of  a  diplo 
matic  station.  Should  such  an  appointment  be  unattain 
able,  you  will  next  try  to  work  out  one  in  the  law ;  or  if 
that  fail  too,  then,  finally,  endeavor  to  obtain  such  an 
establishment  in  the  Church  as  in  its  income  would  enable 
me  to  spare  you  two  or  three  hundred  pounds  a  year, 
after  leaving  me  as  much  more  on  which  to  subsist. 
Kow,  this  is  the  only  topic  of  this  letter ;  I  wish  you  to 
regard  it  as  inviolably  confidential ;  for,  although  I  could 
as  easily  satisfy  your  reason  and  feelings  as  my  own,  that 
I  should  neither  offend  against  the  duties  of  true  religion 
and  morality,  in  accepting  such  a  treasure,  were  it  not 
even  justified  as  the  best  effort  I  could  make  for  a 
starving  family ;  yet  how  vain  would  the  undertaking 


616  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

prove  with  others !  If,  then,  you  should  be  reduced  to 
the  necessity  of  canvassing  for  me  in  a  spiritual  charac 
ter,  you  need  not  hesitate  to  say  of  me,  "  que  vous  un 
connaissez  un  bon  Catholique." 

I  will  close  this  tiresome  letter  by  begging  of  you  to 
look  at  it  occasionally,  to  remind  you  that  the  time  draws 
near  for  my  return  to  my  family,  "  to  live  or  starve  to 
gether,  as  we  can,  for  the  remainder  of  our  days ; "  *  but, 
until  death  shall  relieve  us  of  our  wants,  we  shall  ever 
cherish  the  most  affectionate  regards  for  you.  This  con 
sideration  will  suggest  to  you  the  expediency  of  giving 
me  speedy  intelligence  of  the  result  of  your  exertions  on 
my  behalf. 

And  believe  me,  etc.,  HAR.  B TT. 


To  Lord  Courtney. 
STOKETON  HOUSE,  SALTASH,  April  15£A,  1824. 

MY  LORD  : — After  the  long  lapse  of  years  through 
which  your  lordship  and  myself  have  passed  with  the 
respective  portions  of  happiness  and  misery  each  of  us 
has  experienced  since  the  days  of  our  juvenile  friendship, 
when  boarding  together  at  Mrs.  Clapham's,  it  will,  I 
hope,  be  less  matter  of  surprise  than  of  satisfaction  to 
you  to  learn  that  your  old  school-fellow,  Blennerhassett, 
though  hitherto  silent,  now  takes  the  first  opportunity  of 
soliciting  a  revival  of  friendly  intercourse  by  proposing  a 
correspondence  which  may  enable  him  to  testify  the  acute 

*  An  expression  in  one  of  Mrs.  B.'s  letters  to  himself. 


TO   AN   OLD   FRIEND.  617 

sense  he  has  of  the  injuries  which  have  so  largely  been 
unaccountably  suffered  to  undermine  your  lordship's 
fame  and  just  rights,  in  which  no  one  has  yet  antici 
pated  him  in  standing  forward  to  vindicate. 

It  is  only  since  my  late  return  from  America,  after  an 
absence  of  near  thirty  years,  that  I  have  bee^n  given  to 
understand  your  lordship  has,  during  so  many  years, 
been  the  victim  of  so  much  malice  and  self-interest,  with 
out  the  aid  of  a  protecting  arm,  to  turn  aside  those  of 
the  moral  assassins  that  have  beset  your  fame,  that  they 
might  thereby  divest  you  of  your  property.  £Tow,  to 
grapple  with  the  ruffians,  and  oust  them  of  whatever  con 
trol  they  may  have  usurped  over  your  mind  and  estate,  I 
tender  you,  under  the  guarantee  of  our  juvenile  friend 
ships,  my  services  as  an  experienced  barrister,  together 
with  those  offices  of  friendship  which  I  am  disposed  to 
think  you  might  require  and  return  iji  circumstances  not 
incompatible  with  our  respective  stations  in  life. 

But  I  forbear  troubling  you  with  any  thing  like  stipu 
lation,  unless  called  upon  to  do  so,  after  having  proved 
the  success  of  the  efforts  I  would  make  to  deserve  your 
confidence,  which,  in  the  first  instance,  I  may,  in  some 
degree,  appreciate  from  the  tenor  of  your  answer. 

If  I  should  join  your  lordship's  society,  I  would  ob 
serve,  my  habits  are  those  of  a  literary  man,  though  I 
easily  accommodate  myself  to  any  mode  of  life,  and  am 
no  less  than  I  was  in  boyhood,  an  enthusiast  in  music,  in 
which  I  have  become  a  proficient.  Your  speedy  answer 
will  be  anxiously  looked  for  by,  my  Lord, 
Yours  most  faithfully, 

HARMAN  BLENNERHASSETT. 


618  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

To  Blennerhassett. 

MONTREAL,  May  19#A,  1824. 

MY  DEAR  HUSBAND  :— Your  letter,  conveying  the  melan 
choly  tidings  of  our  much-lamented  Admiral's  death,  not 
unexpected,  should  have  been  answered  sooner  if  the 
state  of  my  mind  had  not  made  me  dread  that  my  writ 
ing  might  grieve  you  more  than  my  silence.  But  I  am 
now  more  tranquil,  and  am  at  a  loss  for  appropriate 
words  of  condolence.  Tell  my  aunt  Mary  that  I  deeply 
sympathize  with  her  in  her  great  affliction,  and  that  the 
image  of  those  virtues  which  shone  forth  in  her  noble 
husband's  character  are  as  fresh  in  my  recollection  as 
though  I  had  seen  him  but  yesterday.  I  sincerely  hope, 
if  you  have  not  already,  that  you  may  prevail  on  my 
aunt  Avis  to  remain  near  her  sister,  as  this  will  be,  for  a 

time  at  least,  her  only  consolation.  *  *  * 

*  *  ###**# 

You  can  not  surely  remain  from  us  forever.  It  would 
have  been  better  that  you  had  not  elated  me  with  the 
hope  of  prosperity ;  but  my  disappointment  is  over  now, 
and  I  can  even  console  you.  Our  noble  friend  Rossiter 
wishes  for  nothing  so  much  as  joining  you  again  in  busi 
ness,  of  which  he  has  more  than  he  can  attend  to,  and 
only  forbears  taking  a  partner  in  hopes  of  your  return. 
I  moved  the  day  before  yesterday  into  an  excellent  house, 
at  £25  rent.  It  is  the  oi»e  you  may  recollect,  constructed 
of  stone,  in  the  rear  of  the  house  in  which  we  lived. 

I  am  quite  fatigued  in  body  and  mind ;  the  latter,  as 
you  know,  always  weak ;  yet  it  has  achieved  more  than 


DESPERATION.  619 

you  would  credit,  did  you  know  all.*  But  I  will  soon 
write  again,  and  hope  the  April  packet  can  not  be  far  off. 
In  the  mean  time,  do  'nt  be  discouraged ;  we  may  yet  do 
well  here  in  a  moderate  way ;  and  what  more,  at  our  time 
of  life,  is  necessary  ?  As  to  your  keeping  a  school,  it  is 
nonsense  (pardon  the  expression) ;  we  shall  never  be 
driven  to  this ;  and  here,  even  if  we  were  starving,  it 
would  be  impossible.  My  six  bank  shares  are  untouched 
yet ;  and  if  you  return,  or  should  send  me  £25,  may  so 
remain  for  a  long  time.  I  have  a  comfortable  house,  fur 
nished  as  w^ell  as  my  necessities  require ;  and,  with  the 
assistance  of  a  good  maid-servant,  get  along  comfortably. 
In  short,  therefore,  be  easy  about  me  on  every  account 
but  one,  your  continued  absence ;  this  it  is  that  breaks  my 
heart ;  and  if  it  is  suffered  to  continue,  I  may  not  last 
long.  Thank  ISTevison  for  me ;  certainly,  should  I  die,  he 
shall  have  Lewis,  now  my  only  comfort. 

The  boys  are  well ;  Lewis  progresses  rapidly  at  school ; 
but,  alas !  Harman  is  doing  nothing  but  indulging  him 
self  in  miscellaneous  reading,  and  performing  occasional 
errands.  He  says,  on  your  return,  he  will  go  to  the  South 
ern  States  and  teach.  I  have  written  to  poor  Dominick, 
but  have  received  nothing  from,  or  heard  nothing  of,  him 
since  last  August,  at  which  time  he  accompanied  the 
troops  to  the  head  of  the  Mississippi.  This  is,  indeed,  a 
sad  scroll ;  do  n't  show  it  to  any  one.  When  I  began  it, 
I  was  calm,  and  thought  I  was  brave ;  but  the  subjects 


*  An  allusion  to  the  forthcoming  book  of  poetry,  "  The  Widow  of  the 
Rock,  and  other  Poems,"  which  she  was  then  publishing,  and  with  which 
she  desired  to  surprise  her  husband. 


620  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

that  have  constantly  recurred  have  overcome  me,  and  I 
am  compelled  to  conclude.   When  I  recover  myself,  which 
I  hope  will  be  in  a  few  days,  I  shall  commence  a  long  sheet 
that  will  prove  far  more  acceptable. 
God  bless  and  preserve  you !  prays 

YOUR   AFFECTIONATE   WlFE. 


To  Blennerhassett. 

MONTREAL,  June  27th,  1824. 

MY  DEAR  HUSBAND  : — Could  I  believe  in  the  flattering 
hope  of  your  embarking  to  return  to  us  on  the  1st  of 
April,  any  answer  to  your  welcome  letter  of  the  1st  and 
3d  of  May  would  be  useless ;  but,  alas  !  such  and  so  mul 
tiplied  have  been  my  cruel  disappointments  on  this  score, 
that,  until  I  see  you,  I  shall  almost  despair  of  our  ever 
meeting  again.  I  look  for  letter  after  letter,  still  hoping 
the  next  I  receive  will  end  my  doubts ;  but  every  one  that 
arrives  only  adds  to  my  perplexity. 

If  my  last  two  have  reached  you,  my  riddle,  as  you  call 
it,  has  been  solved ;  and,  what  is  of  more  importance,  you 
have  an  outline  of  a  plan  by  which,  if  we  can  not  live  in 
affluence,  we  may  yet  subsist  with  independence  here. 

All  those  little  attentions  paid  me  at  first  by  many  of 
the  citizens  of  this  community,  seemed  to  have  been  with 
drawn,  until  the  publication  of  my  book,  which,  in  a  few 
instances,  excited  a  renewal  of  them,  and  which  I  rejected ; 
holding  it  better  to  live  in  solitude  than  again  subject  my 
self  to  the  capriciousness  of  those  to  whom  T  feel  myself 
superior.  The  author  of  "  The  Widow  of  the  Rock,  and 


CALCULATIONS. 

other  Poems,"  *  will,  therefore,  receive  no  favor  which  was 
withheld  from  "  Mrs.  Blennerhassett."  I  live  in  utter  soli 
tude  ;  but  such  has  been  the  state  of  my  health  and  spirits 
for  some  time  past,  that  any  society  would  have  been  in 
supportable. 
******** 

I  rely  on  none  of  the  prospects  of  your  advancement 
you  mention,  save  the  poor  chance  there  may  be  of  a 
recommendation  to  a  new  Governor,  if  Dalhousie,  who 
has  gone  home  with  his  family,  does  not  return.  The 
papers  say,  but  this  is  only  conjecture,  that  he  is  to  go 
out  to  India,  and  that  both  a  civil  and  military  governor 
will  be  sent  to  Canada.  Heaven  only  knows  how  this 
may  be;  but,  notwithstanding  all  the  fuss  a  few  toad- 
eaters  made  at  his  departure,  the  general  impression  seems 
to  be,  that  he  is  a  poor  creature ;  while  the  Canadian 
party  can't  tolerate  him. 

I  exceedingly  dislike  this  place,  but  do  not  know 
where  I  can  be  better  suited ;  for,  as  to  Portugal  or  its 
dependencies,  I  turn  from  them  in  horror ;  such  is  the 
state  of  that  country,  the  success  might  prove  our  destruc 
tion.  "Where  there  is  no  principle,  and  parties  constantly 
changing,  what  can  the  fallen  expect  but  death  or  im 
prisonment?  Though  the  climate  of  Brazil  may  be  fine, 
in  what  situation  would  any  appointment  leave  you  there 
if,  as  would  certainly  be  the  case,  the  Government  did 
not  duly  pay  the  salary  ?  It  would  be  better  to  commit 
suicide  at  once,  in  my  opinion,  than  to  go  to  any  other 
Portuguese  colony;  and  as  to  having  any  thing  to  do 

*  The  title  of  her  book. 


622  THE    BLENXERHASSETT    PAPERS 

with  the  Church,  that  would  be  running  into  the  lion's 
mouth.  If  any  employment  could  he  obtained  under  an 
English  nobleman,  it  would  be  desirable,  even  though  I 
should  be  doomed  to  seek  a  retreat  in  the  Welsh  mount 
ains,  which  I  should  much  prefer  to  Scotland.  But  I 
expect  nothing  from  this  scheme,  and  again  repeat,  that 
I  fear  it  is  here  alone  we  can  hope  to  end  our  days  without 
starvation. 

0  !  I  ask  myself  a  thousand  times  what  I  can  have 
done  to  deserve  my  present  forlorn  condition  ?  Did  it 
spring  from  the  grave,  I  could  bear  it  as  the  lot  of  mor 
tality.  But  to  be  a  wife  and  the  mother  of  two  grown 
sons,  and  yet  feel  alone  in  the  world,  is  a  situation  which 
I  sometimes  wonder  that  I  can  sustain ;  yet,  poor  Dom- 
inick,  in  the  midst  of  his  failings,  was  ever  kind  to  me, 
and  now  that  a  year  has  elapsed  without  having  heard 
from  him,  bears  more  sadly  upon  my  heart  than  any 

thing  else. 
#*###### 

You  can't  remain  much  longer  from,  your  affectionate 
wife,  M.  BLENNERHASSETT. 


To  General  Devereux. 
COTTAGE  CRESCENT,  BATH,  May  8th,  1825. 

MY  DEAR  DEVEREUX: — After  the  many  trying  vicis 
situdes  of  fortune  two  old  friends  have  undergone  during 
nineteen  years  that  have  rolled  over  them  since  they 
received  that  impressing  regard  for  you  which  no  length 
of  time  or  change  of  circumstances  can  ever  efface  from 


INFERIOR   TYPOGRAPHY.  623 

their  hearts,  your  feelings  will  better  suggest  to  you  than 
I  can  describe  the  agreeable  surprise  with  which  we  have 
just  learned  you  are  in  London. 

Assuredly,  the  distance  of  a  day's  journey  which  sepa 
rates  us,  can  not  long  impede  any  efforts  I  can  make  to 
effect  our  meeting,  if  I  shall  learn  by  your  answer  that 
you  do  not  expect  soon  to  visit  Bath,  and  that  business  is 
likely  to  detain  you  in  London,  more  especially  law  busi 
ness,  in  which  I  could  devote  to  your  interest  the  best 
efforts  of  my  professional  labor  or  advice. 

Mrs.  B.,  now  here  with  my  sister,  is  in  too  delicate  a 
state  of  health  to  permit  her  indulging  the  pleasure  she 
would  not  fail  to  enjoy  of  accompanying  me  to  town  on 
such  an  occasion.  Of  the  deep  regret  which  she  will  en 
tertain,  on  conceiving  the  thought  of  not  seeing  you  here, 
you  will  be  the  best  judge,  from  the  ardor  of  her  mind 
which  she  lent  to  the  best  feelings  of  her  heart  in  conse 
crating  her  sense  of  your  worth  and  character,  in  the 
poetical  address  to  you  she  published,  last  year,  at  Mon 
treal,  called  forth  on  the  occasion  of  seeing  in  the  papers 
your  intended  mission  from  Colombia  to  Russia,  and  in 
vindication  of  your  character,  which  her  best  sympathies 
have  covered  with  the  segis  of  truth  and  friendship 
against  the  gorgon  of  calumny  that  would  assail  it.  The 
volume,  containing  many  other  things  that  will  not  be  un 
interesting,  I  will  transmit  you  by  the  Bath  coach,  if  you 
do  not  let  me  take  it  up  with  me,  or  rather  to  hand  it  to 
you  here.  It  has  been  wretchedly  printed  in  Canada. 
We  expect  to  republish  it  in  London.* 


*  For  the  gratification  of  the  curiosity  of  my  readers,  I  extract  a  few 
stanzas  from  the  collection   alluded    to.      The  contemplated  revisal  and 


624.  THE    BLENNERHASSETT    PAPERS. 

I  forbear  to  touch  upon  my  present  condition  or  future 
prospects  until  we  meet,  and  shall  only  add,  that  I  shall 
be  most  impatient  to  learn  whether  I  shall  further  hasten 
to  embrace  you  in  town,  or  shall  soon  be  more  gratified 
to  welcome  you  here,  where  you  will  accept  of  a  bed. 
Without  the  least  abatement  of  our  best  sentiments,  I 
doubt  not  you  will  consider  us  most  anxious  to  hear  from 
you,  and  believe  me,  my  dear  Devereux, 

Unalterably  yours,  HARMAN  BLENNERHASSETT. 


To  J.  Kingdom,  Esq. 
COTTAGE  CRESCENT,  June  25th,  1825. 

MY  DEAR  FRIEND  : — From  the  generous  interest  I  know 
you  feel  in  the  success  of  my  proposed  plan  of  undertak- 

London  publication  of  the  poems  was  never  effected.     The  address  opens 
as  follows : 

"  From  Chimborazo's  lofty  brow, 

Fame  spreads  her  eagle  wings  for  flight; 
A  hero's  name  she  echoes  now, 

To  thrill  the  soul  with  wild  delight. 

"  On  Andes'  peaks  thy  deeds  now  shine ; 
In  Quito's  halls  are  joy  and  mirth; 
Lov'd  Erin's  cause,  for  ever  thine, 

Is  linked  with  Freedom's  'round  the  earth. 

"  Colombia  now  no  more  shall  hear 
The  soul's  sad  echo  of  distress; 
The  tyrant's  scourge  no  more  shall  fear, 
While  BOLIVAR  and  THEE  they  bless. 

"  Why  weeps  poor  Erin  thus  in  need 

Of  souls  like  thine  to  soothe  her  tears  ? 
Why  not  at  FREEDOM'S  call  we  speed 
To  worship  at  the  throne  she  rears?" 


TUITION.  625 

ing  the  instruction  of  two  or  three  other  lads  concur 
rently  with  that  of  my  son,  you  have  ere  now  expected 
something  in  the  nature  of  a  prospectus  to  be  submitted 
to  your  consideration.  I  shall  now  offer  you  a  sketch  of 
my  views,  in  the  hope  of  your  favoring  me  with  your  un 
reserved  judgment  on  the  subject. 

Having,  by  my  own  experience  and  observation,  fully 
proven  the  wasteful  expense  of  time,  money  and  constitu 
tion,  to  obtain  school  and  academical  instruction,  and  its 
defects,  when  acquired,  I  have  no  reason  to  regret  that 
my  present  restricted  circumstances  determine  me  to  dis 
pense,  proprid  persond,  to  my  son  that  discipline  of  the 
head  and  heart,  which  I  should  despair  of  his  attaining 
in  a  public  seminary ;  and  which,  for  a  reasonable  com 
pensation,  I  would  administer  to  a  few  others  of  similar 
age  and  amiable  tempers. 

It  would  be  with  me  a  sine  qua  non  that  the  best  moral 
principles  had  been  confirmed,  and  the  temper  generous 
and  tractable,  in  any  pupil  I  would  undertake;  such 
preliminary  qualifications  I  can  vouch  for  in  Mr.  Cresser 
and  my  own  boy.  With  such  dispositions  I  would 
keep  up  rather  a  companionable  than  a  magisterial  in 
tercourse.  Expecting  to  receive  them  with  good  moral 
instincts,  I  should  spare  no  pains  to  arrange  and  eluci 
date  the  analysis,  as  well  as  the  synthesis  of  their  ethics, 
which  I  regard  as  the  best  and  most  solid  foundation 
of  all  the  prosperity  they  may  aim  to  attain,  in  whatever 
vocation  they  may  be  destined  for. 

As  to  literary  acquirements,  the  course  and  compass  of 
them  should  be  regulated  by  the  profession  we  have  in 
view ;  for  instance,  I  should  hold  it  preposterous  for  a 
40 


626  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

student  of  law  to  pore  longer  over  the  intricacies  of 
mathematics  than  was  necessary  to  enable  him  to  apply 
them  to  an  elementary  course  of  physics.  This  I  put  as 
an  example  of  the  vigilance  I  would  exert  in  the  economy 
of  time  in  the  selection  of  matter.  Meanwhile  I  should 
never  lose  sight  of  the  necessary  grounding,  so  frequently 
disregarded  or  neglected  at  all  schools,  except,  perhaps, 
the  Royal  Foundations,  in  which  last,  I  admit,  young  men 
acquire  hy  seven  or  eight  years  labor,  a  good  grammar 
of  the  dead  languages,  with  little  or  no  love  for  the  beau 
ties  of  the  ancients,  in  the  study  of  whom  they  are  solely 
devoted  to  the  almost  total  neglect  of  all  other  acquire 
ments.  I  can  aver  that,  of  the  four  hundred  boys  at 
Westminster  school,  when  I  was  there,  six  could  not  be 
picked  out  who  could  deliver  the  principles  of  an  opera 
tion  in  the  Rule  of  Three.  Such  a  waste  of  young  life 
was  more  compatible  with  a  monastic  age  than  with  the 
present.  But  the  tyranny  of  fashion  further  exacts  four 
years  more  of  the  flower  of  youth  to  be  devoted  to  the 
college  course ;  for  what  benefit  I  know  not,  save  so  far 
as  it  may  be  requisite  for  a  more  respectable  ordination ; 
but  with  what  effects  it  visits  the  constitution  and  morals 
of  its  students,  I  suppose,  is  as  generally  felt  and  admitted, 
as  is  the  great  charge  for  the  name,  rather  than  the  sub 
stance  of  any  learning  that  is  gained  by  it.  The  literary 
men  of  Alma  Mater  are  really  self-taught  products  of  a 
second  closet  education,  and  only  regard  her  as  their 
boarding  dame.  Hence  I  propose,  for  my  son,  to  dis 
pense  with  a  public  education,  feeling  as  I  do,  that  if  God 
Almighty  vouches  health  to  me  for  three  years  to  come, 
T  shall  in  that  time  provide  him  with  a  viaticum  for  pur- 


EDUCATIONAL.  627 

suing  his  journey  toward  the  attainment,  with  credit,  of 
whatever  profession  circumstances  and  his  talents  may 
best  indicate.  In  three  years,  I  beg  to  repeat,  for  any  lad 
no  less  advanced  than  Lewis,  I  could  supersede  the  neces 
sity  of  all  school  and  University  education,  and  fit  him 
for  such  a  course  of  study  as  in  five  years  more  would 
enable  him  to  enter  on  the  practice  of  any  of  the  liberal 
professions  as  well  gifted  and  qualified  as  any  University 
scholar  whatever. 

You  perceive  my  plan,  in  the  whole,  embraces  a  period 
of  eight  years,  of  which  the  last  five  are  to  be  appropri 
ated  to  a  mixed  course  of  the  sciences,  polite  literature 
and  professional  study,  to  be  arranged  and  digested  on  a 
scale  adapted  to  the  views,  interests  and  intended  voca 
tion  of  the  individual.  For  instance,  should  the  bar  be 
his  object,  he  is  to  spend  half  of  his  last  year  in  a  special 
pleader's  oflice,  three  months  of  it  in  an  attorney's,  and 
the  other  three  in  a  conveyancer's  office,  having,  during 
the  last  five  years,  kept  all  his  Terms  at  the  Temple. 
For  a  military,  naval  or  commercial  calling,  I  would  not 
undertake  to  propose  further  than  by  the  first  three  years' 
course,  which  would  embrace  enough  of  French,  Greek, 
Latin,  English,  Arithmetic,  Algebra,  Geography,  Geom 
etry,  Astronomy,  and  no  more  than  I  should  deem  requi 
site  at  the  present  day  for  any  condition.  Any  other 
acquirements  should  be  sought  out  in  an  after  period  by 
the  individual. 

If  boarding  should  be  required,  it  could  be  procured  at 
Cottage  Crescent,  by  all  comparisons  the  most  healthful 
and  pleasant  situation,  distant  one  and  three-fourth  miles 


628  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

from  Bath,  at  the  lowest  terms  it  could  be  furnished  in  a 
good  family.  The  tone  of  the  society  and  manners  is 
such  as  may  he  expected  in  a  domestic  circle  whose  limits 
regard  as  their  center  a  retired  hamster,  who  is  an  LL.  B., 
has  traveled  much,  and  practiced  his  profession  with  rep 
utation  both  in  Europe  and  America.  It  is  not,  he  flat 
ters  himself,  his  least  recommendation,  that  he  avers  he 
had  no  wish  to  grow  rich  by  his  labors  in  the  decline  of 
his  life.  His  only  aim  is  to  give  ample  value  for  quantum 
meruitj  while,  by  benefiting  others,  he  can  enlarge  the 
rational  comforts  of  his  own  family.  In  his  estimates, 
which,  however,  he  is  willing  to  modify  at  your  sugges 
tion,  he  submits,  that  he  ought  to  receive  £100  per  annum, 
independent  of  boarding.  If  it  should  be  thought  I  have 
spoken  less  reverently  than  I  thought  to  have  done,  I 
would  refer  to  the  bill  now  before  Parliament,  constitut 
ing  a  Police  System  for  the  Universities. 

Yours  faithfully,  H.  BLENNERHASSETT. 


To  Devereux. 
COTTAGE  CRESCENT,  BATH,  Aug.  31s£,  1825. 

MY  DEAR  DEVEREUX  : — Perceiving  by  the  papers  that 
commercial  intercourse  with  Colombia  is  connived  at  by 
France,  which  I  have  thought  it  probable  may  have 
arisen  from  the  success  of  your  efforts  on  the  part  of 
the  Republic  with  the  French  ministry ;  and  if  I  am 
right  in  this  conjecture,  I  may  rejoice  in  your  having 
been,  at  least,  the  proximate  cause  of  that  recognition 


TO    DEVEREUX.  629 

which  seems  so  generally  expected  to  be  made  by  the 
French  Government.  Should  this  soon  take  place,  surely 
the  services  you  have  rendered  the  Republic,  and  the 
claims  you  have  on  Bolivar,  can  admit  of  no  intervention 
between  you  and  the  Colombian  Government,  notwith 
standing  your  being  a  foreigner,  to  impede  your  filling 
any  diplomatic  situation  in  Europe  you  might  choose  to 
accept  under  the  Republic.  Might  I,  in  such  an  issue  of 
your  exciting  political  speculations,  suggest  that,  if  your 
views  are  not  already  fixed,  I  will  not  say  on  some  more 
attached,  but  more  competent  friend,  I  would  be  most 
happy  to  be  appointed  your  secretary,  in  which  character, 
I  may  venture  to  say,  I  hope  my  industry  and  acquire 
ments  would  not  disappoint  your  expectations.  To  this 
application  you  will  'gratify  me  with  an  early  answer. 
But  en  attendant,  if  you  could,  without  inconvenience, 
procure  me  a  consular  appointment  under  the  Colombian 
Government,  or  any  agency  worth  even  £200  per  annum, 
in  any  situation  in  Europe,  such  an  addition  to  our  pres 
ent  small  income  would  make  us  comfortable  any  where 
near  you;  though,  I  confess,  we  should  receive  it  with 
considerable  alloy,  if  it  were  to  depend  on  the  condition 
of  our  residing  out  of  Europe. 

I  have  nearly,  but  not  quite,  abandoned  the  project  of 
resuming  my  profession  in  Ireland,  which  is  not  now  the 
happy  home  of  our  "  by-gone  years."  The  scheme  is  beset 
with  too  many  difficulties  to  promise  success,  with  a  detail 
of  which  I  will  not  attempt  to  excite  your  sympathies. 

Mrs.  B.  has  sanguine  hopes  that  the  suggestions  I  have 
presented  to  your  friendship  may  open  better  prospects 
for  us.  She  begs  to  close  this  letter ;  so  I  will  only  add, 


630  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

I  hope  we  shall  soon  learn  where  we  may  look  for  the 
happiness  of  embracing  you  ;  being 

Ever,  my  dear  Devereux,  faithfully  yours, 

HARMAN  BLENNERHASSETT. 

P.  S. — We  have  just  heard  of  a  new  work  on  the 
Colombian  Revolution,  with  which  we  are  impatient  to 
meet,  that  we  may  follow  the  march  of  your  fame.  Apro 
pos  de  la  marche,  I  have  composed  some  military  ones,  of 
which  I  hope  your  Excellency  will  hereafter  select  one,  to 
be  enhanced  by  your  accepting  its  dedication. 

MY  DEAR  SIR  : — I  can  not  permit  your  friend's  letter  to 
go  without  offering  you,  under  my  own  hand,  an  expres 
sion  of  the  heartfelt  pleasure  I  received  by  your  kind  let 
ter  from  London,  the  sentiments  of  which  so  entirely  cor 
respond  with  those  I  have  ever  cherished,  that  I  look 
forward  to  the  period  when  we  shall  receive  the  pleasure 
we  formerly  so  much  enjoyed  in  your  society ;  not  merely 
in  your  promised  visit  to  us  here,  but  in  a  more  durable 
intercourse,  if  we  shall  ever  be  so  fortunate  as  to  realize 
the  hope  of  sharing  with  you  the  evening  of  our  days. 

With  every  solicitude  for  your  health  and  happiness,  I 
beg  you  to  believe  me, 

Your  faithfully  attached  friend,  M.  B. 


To  the  Marquis  of  Wdlesley. 
COTTAGE  CRESCENT,  BATH,  November  3d,  1825. 

MY  LORD  : — If  any  subject  of  these  realms  may  more 
gratefully  than    another  be   supposed  to   exult  in   the 


CONFESSION.  631 

glories  of  the  illustrious  house  of  "Wellesley,  your  Excel 
lency  will  not  doubt  the  sincerity  of  that  devotedness 
with  which  an  humble  relation  of  that  house  now  ven 
tures  to  solicit  your  Excellency's  notice  and  protection. 

The  grandson  of  Conway  Bleunerhassett,  who  married 
Elizabeth  liarman,  daughter  of  Margaret  Welleeley,  who 
married  Wentworth  Harman, — I  trust  the  degree  of  con 
sanguinity  which  I  happily  derive  from  this  descent  may 
qualify  me  to  aspire  to  the  hope  of  your  Excellency's 
favor,  if,  upon  investigation  of  my  capacity  and  charac 
ter,  I  shall  be  found  worthy  of  it. 

I  am  of  the  Irish  bar,  since  1790 :  left  it  for  America, 
in  1795,  where  I  have  resided  until  I  finally  returned,  last 
year,  from  Canada,  to  lay  claim,  at  the  solicitation  of  some 
friends,  to  certain  estates  of  the  late  Dean  Harman,  which, 
it  was  confidently  but  erroneously  believed,  I  was  entitled 
to,  in  virtue  of  my  descent  from  Wentworth  Harman.  The 
failure  of  this  enterprise,  consequent  upon  a  long  train  of 
adverse  circumstances,  now  reduces  me  to  resort  to  the 
forlorn  hope  of  praying  your  Excellency  to  locate  me  in 
any  civil  situation  in  Ireland,  the  stipend  whereof  may 
enable  me  to  support  a  family  in  a  state  above  penury. 

Confined,  since  my  return  to  England,  by  an  attendance 
on  an  aged  sister,  in  feeble  health,  which  has  hitherto  pre 
vented  my  personally  paying  my  respects  to  your  Excel 
lency,  I  beg  to  avail  myself  of  this  occasion  to  express 
my  most  ardent  wishes  for  the  most  perfect  happiness  of 
that  union  resulting  from  your  Excellency's  late  nuptials 
with  a  lady  whose  acquaintance  Mrs.  Blennerhassett  is 
proud  to  recollect  she  made  some  years  since  at  Baltimore. 

With  the  most  profound  esteem  and  admiring  sense  of 


632  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

those  virtues  and  talents  that  distinguish,  as  they  have 
prepared   for  history,  your  Excellency's   character   and 
fame,  I  pray  to  he  considered,  my  lord, 
Your  most  humhle  servant, 

HARMAN  BLENNERHASSETT. 

Although  somewhat  foreign  to  the  object  of  these 
memoirs,  I  can  not  refrain  from  affording  the  reader,  even 
at  the  peril  of  censure  for  a  departure  from  the  strict  line 
of  biographical  narrative,  and  pertinency  to  my  subject, 
a  more  extended  acquaintance  with  the  personages  ad 
dressed  and  referred  to  in  the  preceding  letter. 

The  Marquis  of  Wellesley,  with  whom  Blennerhassett 
claimed  consanguinity,  was  the  eldst  son  of  the  Earl  of 
Mornington,  and  brother  of  Arthur,  Duke  of  Wellington, 
was  created  Marquis  of  Wellesley,  for  his  services  in  India 
as  Governor-General,  and,  at  the  date  of  his  letter,  Vice 
roy  of  Ireland.  He  had,  but  the  February  previous,  been 
married  to  Marianne,  daughter  of  Richard  Caton,  Esq., 
of  Baltimore,  where  Mrs.  Blennerhassett  had  made  her 
acquaintance.  At  the  time  of  her  marriage  with  the 
Marquis,  she  was  the  widow  of  Robert  Patterson,  by 
which  previous  alliance  she  became,  in  some  degree,  con 
nected  with  the  Bonaparte  family.*  Their  nuptials  were 


*  Jerome  Bonaparte,  the  younger  brother  of  Napoleon  I,  was  born  in 
1784,  and  educated  in  France.  He  went  to  St.  Domingo  with  Le  Clerc,  as 
a  lieutenant,  and  soon  afterward  was  appointed  to  the  command  of  a  frig 
ate.  Napoleon  had  so  high  an  opinion  of  his  nautical  talents,  that  he  made 
him  an  admiral;  he,  however,  was  soon  dissatisfied,  and  transferred  him 
to  the  army,  where  he  arose  to  the  command  of  a  division.  About  the  year 
1801,  Jerome  visited  the  United  States,  and  while  here  married  a  Miss 
Patterson,  daughter  of  the  Marquis  of  Wellesley's  wife's  former  husband. 
Napoleon  compelled  him  to  divorce  this  lady,  with  a  view  of  marrying  a 


MRS.     PATTERSON.  633 

celebrated  when  Lord  Wellesley  was  in  his  sixty-fifth  and 
the  bride  in  her  thirty-first  year.  Her  sister,  Louisa 
Catherine  Caton,  had  been  previously  married  to  Sir 
Felton  Bathurst  Harvey,  in  1817,  and  became  a  widow 
two  years  after.  In  1828,  she  was  again  married  to  the 
present  Duke  of  Leeds,  then  Marquis  of  Carmarthen. 

Perhaps  no  American  woman,  either  before  or  since, 
has  ever  won  such  marks  of  distinction  in  Europe,  as  was 
bestowed  on  these  beautiful  and  highly-gifted  ladies.  Al 
though  of  American  parentage,  and  educated  in  the  less 
ostentatious  manners  of  Republican  simplicity,  there  was, 
nevertheless,  an  inborn  dignity  of  deportment,  and  an 
unaffected  suavity  of  address,  that  at  once  admitted 
them  within  the  royal  circles  of  Europe,  while  their 
beauty  and  accomplishments  rendered  them  successful 
rivals  of  the  titled  aristocracy  of  the  old  world. 

Mrs.  Patterson  and  her  sister  had  visited  Ireland  to  see 
the  country.  Having  been  introduced  to  the  most  fash 
ionable  circles,  she  soon  became  the  center  of  attraction. 
Her  religion,  which  was  that  of  Rome,  had  it  been  at 
first  revealed,  might  have  restricted,  in  some  measure, 
the  generous  hospitality  which  was  every-where  dis 
played.  On  her  introduction  at  court,  Lord  Wellesley 
became  enamored  of  her  charms,  of  which  one  hundred 
and  fifty  thousand  pounds  were  said  to  constitute  a  part: 
Her  fortune,  however,  it  is  said,  was  greatly  exaggerated 

princess  of  the  house  of  Wurtemberg.  This  marriage  took  place  in  1807, 
and  Jerome  removed  to  the  territory  of  Wurtemberg,  where  he  continued 
to  reside  for  some  time  under  the  title  of  Count  Montfort.  He  died  in  1860. 
It  seems  rather  a  remarkable  coincidence,  that  while  the  stepmother 
married  the  brother  of  the  Duke  of  Wellington,  the  stepdaughter  should 
have  married  the  brother  of  Napoleon. 


634  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

by  the  vulgar  report ;  and  the  Marquis  would  have  been 
the  very  last  man  to  have  taken  it  into  the  account  in 
a  matrimonial  alliance.  "  Though  Hymen,"  says  Sheil, 
"  is  sometimes  addicted  to  the  study  of  arithmetic,  yet 
Lord  Wellesley  would  never  set  him  at  this  inglorious 
task."  It  was  indeed,  with  him,  altogether  an  affair  of 
the  heart.  She  was  that  poetic  creation — an  old  man's 
darling.  He  offered  her  his  hand,  and  was  elated  with 
its  acceptance. 

In  the  great  city  of  Dublin,  the  announcement  of  the 
intended  nuptials  produced  the  most  profound  sensa 
tion.  The  lord-lieutenant  was  soon  to  introduce  in  their 
midst  a  vice-queen,  of  wonderful  beauty,  and  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  religion ;  of  course,  the  wildest  ex 
citement  prevailed  among  the  hitherto  oppressed  and 
restricted  Catholic  subjects.  Their  creed  they  now  con 
ceived,  says  Sheil,  "  would  receive  a  sanction  from  a 
pair  of  beautiful  eyes  at  the  Castle."  She  would  drive 
in  state  to  the  chapel,  and  O'Connell  and  Sheil  hoped 
"  that  her  love  of  legitimate  rhetoric  might  induce  her  to 
go  in  disguise  to  the  gallery  of  the  Catholic  House  of 
Commons,"  The  Orange  faction  were  alarmed;  the 
scepter  was  to  depart  from  Judah;  and  the  Protestant 
viceroy  was  to  be  placed  in  Catholic  leading  strings,  by 
the  intrigues  of  an  American  beauty.  It  was  idle,  they 
said,  to  expect,  on  the  part  of  Lord  Wellesley,  any  very 
rigid  adherence  to  the  principles  of  the  Protestant  relig 
ion  :  "  How  powerful  must  be  the  influence  of  a  young 
and  beautiful  wife  upon  a  man  of  careless  and  vacillating 
opinions." 

The  marriage  may  be  said  to  have  been  a  double  one ; 


A   BALL.  635 

at  least,  the  ceremonies  were  twice  performed ;  the  first 
by  Dr.  Magee,  a  clergyman  of  the  Church  of  England ; 
the  second,  by  one  of  the  Catholic  communion.  Thus  pol 
itics  and  religion  were  reconciled,  the  rancor  of  religious 
intolerance  appeased,  and  both  parties  satisfied  that  the 
hy menial  knot  had  been  tied  with  a  double  bow. 

The  Marchioness  soon  became  popular  in  Ireland.  She 
was  called  upon  to  witness  much  distress,  caused,  partly, 
by  the  improvidence  of  its  inhabitants,  but  more  immedi 
ately  by  the  prostration  of  its  manufacturing  interests. 
It  was  true  that  her  private  charities  were  frequently  dis 
pensed  to  individual  objects  ;  but  where  poverty  and  suf 
fering  were  so  universal,  however  large  the  contributions 
of  her  own  and  her  husband's  private  benevolence,  they 
could  afford  but  limited  relief  to  the  starving  poor.  As 
an  expedient  of  temporary  relief,  it  was  suggested  that  a 
"  Tabinet  Ball "  should  take  place,  under  the  auspices  of 
the  fair  and  newly-ennobled  lady.  I  am  enabled  to  con 
dense  a  description  of  the  scene  from  an  eye-witness.* 

The  notice  was  given  in  order  to  afford  the  young 
ladies  in  the  country  an  opportunity  of  coming  to  town, 
and  the  llth  of  May,  1826,  was  fixed  for  the  metropolitan 
fete.  Peremptory  orders  were  issued  at  the  Castle,  that 
no  person  should  appear  in  any  other  than  Irish  manu 
facture.  A  great  sensation  was  produced  by  what,  in 
such  a  provincial  town  as  Dublin,  may  be  considered  as 
an  event.  Crowds  of  families  flocked  from  all  parts  of 
the  country ;  and  if  any  prudential  grazier  remonstrated 
against  the  expense  of  a  journey  to  the  metropolis,  the 

Mr.  Shell. 


636  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

eyes  of  the  young  ladies  having  duly  filled  with  tears, 
and  mamma  having  protested  that  Mr.  O'Flaherty  might 
as  well  send  the  girls  to  a  convent,  and  doom  them  to 
old  maidenhood  for  life,  the  old  carriage  was  ordered  to 
the  hall-door,  and  came  creaking  into  town,  laden  with 
the  rural  belles,  who  were  to  make  a  conquest  at  the 
Tabinet  Ball.  The  arrival  of  the  important  day  was 
looked  for  with  impatience,  and  many  a  young  heart 
was  kept  beating  under  its  virgin  zone  at  the  pleasura 
ble  anticipation.  In  the  interval  much  good  was  ac 
complished,  and  Terpsichore  set  the  loom  at  work. 
Every  milliner's  shop  gave  notes  of  profuse  and  prodi 
gal  preparation. 

At  last,  the  llth  of  May  arrived,  and  at  about  10 
o'clock  the  city  shook  with  the  roll  of  carriages  hurrying 
from  all  quarters  to  the  rotunda.  Here  was  an  immense 
assemblage  of  young  and  beautiful  women,  dressed  in  an 
attire  which,  instead  of  impairing,  tended  to  set  off  the 
loveliness  of  their  aspect,  and  the  symmetry  of  their  fine 
forms ;  the  sweetness  and  innocency  of  expression  which 
characterizes  an  Irish  lady,  sat  upon  their  faces ;  modesty, 
kindness,  and  vivacity  played  in  their  features ;  and  grace 
and  joyousness  swayed  the  movement  of  limbs  which 
Chantry  would  not  disdain  to  select  for  a  model.  While 
these  gay  festivities  were  proceeding,  it  was  suddenly 
announced  that  Lord  Wellesley  and  the  Marchioness 
were  about  to  enter  the  room.  There  was  a  sudden 
pause  in  the  dancing,  and  the  light  airs  to  which  the 
crowd  had  been  moving  were  soon  changed  to  the  Royal 
Anthem.  All  were  eager  in  their  efforts  to  observe  the 
beautiful  American.  A  Yankee  and  a  Papist  turned  into 


HAPPY   MAN  !  6S7 

I 

a  vice-queen ! — a  novelty  never  before  witnessed  in  the 
long  history  of  Ireland.  There  was  something  strange 
in  this  caprice  of  fortune;  the  crowd  were  anxious  to 
behold  the  person  with  whom  the  blind  goddess  had 
played  so  fantastic  a  freak.  Followed  by  a  gorgeous 
retinue  of  richly-decorated  attendants,  the  viceroy  and 
his  consort  advanced  toward  the  immense  assembly,  who 
received  them  with  acclamation.  She  was  leaning  upon 
his  arm.  He  seemed  justly  proud  of  so  fair  a  burden. 
The  consciousness  of  so  noble  a  possession  had  the  effect 
upon  him  which  the  inspirations  of  Genius  were  said  to 
have  produced  upon  a  celebrated  actor,  and  he  looked 
"  six  feet  high,"  compact,  and  well  knit  together,  with 
great  alertness  in  his  movements,  and  with  no  further 
stoop  than  sixty  winters  have  left  upon  him,  with  a 
searching  and  finely-irradiated  eye,  and  with  cheeks 
which,  however  furrowed,  carry  but  few  traces  of  the 
tropics.  The  victor  of  Tipoo  Saib,  and  the  conqueror 
of  Captain  Rock,  entered  the  rotunda. 

He  seemed  to  personate  his  sovereign  with  too  elabo 
rate  a  fidelity  to  the  part,  and  to  forget  that  he  was  not 
in  permanent  possession  of  the  character  upon  a  stage 
which  was  under  the  direction  of  such  capricious  mana 
gers,  and  that  he  must  speedily  relinquish  it  to  some 
other  actor  upon  the  provincial  boards.  He  was,  un 
questionably,  a  man  of  very  great  abilities ;  a  speaker  of 
the  first  order  of  talent ;  a  statesman  with  wide  and  phil 
osophic  views,  who  never  bounded  his  prospects  by  an 
artificial  horizon.  He  attained  great  fame  as  a  politician, 
and  had  the  merit  of  co-operating  with  O'Coimell  in  the 
pacification  of  Ireland. 


638  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

A  throne,  surmounted  with  a  gorgeous  canopy  of  gold 
and  scarlet,  was  placed  at  the  extremity  of  the  room  for 
nis  reception  ;  and  to  this  seat  of  mock  regality  he  ad 
vanced  with  his  vice-queen  with  a  measured  and  stately 
step.  When  he  had  reached  this  place  of  dignity,  his 
suite  formed  themselves  into  a  hollow  square  and  excluded 
from  any  too  familiar  approach  the  crowd  of  spectators 
that  thronged  around.  A  sort  of  boundary  was  formed 
by  the  lines  of  aid-de-camps,  train-bearers,  and  pursui 
vants  of  all  kinds. 

The  Marquis  was  dressed  in  a  rich  uniform,  with  a  pro 
fusion  of.  orders.  He  wore  white  pantaloons,  with  short 
boots  lined  with  gold  and  with  tassels  of  the  same  ma 
terial.  The  Marchioness  was  dressed  in  white  tabinet, 
crossed  with  a  garland  of  flowers.  Her  appearance  was 
striking,  not  only  as  a  very  fine,  but  dignified  woman. 
Nobody  would  have  suspected  that  she  had  not  originally 
belonged  to  that  proud  aristocracy  to  which  she  had  been 
recently  annexed.  She  had  nothing  of  la  bourgeoise  par- 
venue.  She  executed  her  courtesies  with  a  remarkable 
gracefulness,  and  her  stateliness  sat  as  naturally  upon  her 
as  though  she  inherited  it  by  regal  descent.  Her  figure 
was  peculiarly  well  proportioned.  Her  arms  and  shoul 
ders,  though  less  suited  to  Hebe  than  to  Pomona,  were 
finely  moulded,  and  her  waist  delicately  small  and  taper 
ing.  Her  profile  was  marked  and  classical.  Her  com 
plexion  had  not  that  purity  and  milkiness  of  color  which 
belong  to  Irish  beauty,  but  it  was  perhaps  not  the  less 
agreeable  from  having  been  touched  by  a  warmer  sun. 
Her  brows  were  softly  and  straightly  penciled ;  her 


THE    DOWAGER.  639 

cheeks  well  chiseled,  and  an  expression  of  permanent 
mildness  sat  upon  her  lips.  "If  I  were  called  upon," 
says  Sheil,  "  to  point  out,  among  the  portraitures  of  ficti 
tious  life,  an  illustration  of  the  Marchioness  of  Wellesley, 
I  do  not  think  that  with  reference  to  her  air,  her  man 
ners,  the  polish  and  urbanity  of  her  address,  and  the 
placidity  of  her  expression,  I  could  select  any  more  ap 
propriate  than  the  English  heroine  of  Don  Juan — 

"THE  LADY  ADELINE  AMUNDEVILLE." 

The  Marquis  and  the  copartner  of  his  honors,  and  sole 
tenant  of  his  heart,  having  made  their  obeisance  to  the 
company,  seated  themselves  upon  the  throne.  From  this 
position  they  could  command  a  view  of  the  entire  assem 
bly.  After  the  ceremonies  of  the  reception  had  ended, 
the  festivities  of  the  occasion  were  resumed,  and  only 
closed  when  the  morning  sun  eclipsed  the  glare  of  arti 
ficial  light,  and  admonished  the  exhausted  dancers  that 
the  night  was  spent. 

This  remarkable  lady  seems  not  to  have  been  exempt 
from  the  fickleness  of  fortune,  and  to  have  experienced 
sad  reverses  in  her  latter  days.  Queen  Victoria  granted 
her  a  residence  in  Hampton  Court  Palace,  a  "  refuge  for 
the  destitute "  among  the  aristocracy,  in  which  many 
pauperized  people  of  rank  are  rent  free.  Here  she  re 
ceived  a  pension,  either  from  the  British  Government  or 
the  East  India  Company,  both  of  whom  Marquis  Welles- 
ley  had  served  faithfully  and  with  distinction  during  a 
long  period  of  years. 


640  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

I  , 

From  the  Poet  Campbell. 

10  UPPER  SEYMOUR  STREET,  WEST, 
July  VWi,  1825. 

SIR  : — I  am  exceedingly  sorry  that  it  is  wholly  out  of 
my  power  to  be  of  the  smallest  use  to  you  in  the  publica 
tion  of  your  musical  composition.  The  New  Monthly 
never  inserts  pieces  of  music,  and  I  have  no  personal  ac 
quaintance  either  with  Mr.  Braham  or  Mr.  Sapio.  The 
words  are  not  mine,  to  the  best  of  my  recollection ;  but  I 
should  not  be  ashamed  of  them.  I  am  therefore  obliged 
to  return  your  MSS.,  and  with  best  wishes  I  remain, 
Your  most  obedient  servant,  THOS.  CAMPBELL. 

In  1825,  Blennerhassett  returned  to  Canada,  only  to 
complete  his  arrangements  for  a  permanent  removal.  His 
business  having  been  closed,  accompanied  by  his  wife 
and  youngest  son,  he  sailed  from  Quebec,  never  to  return. 
His  maiden  sister,  Avis,  having  offered  him  a  home,  his 
family  became  a  part  of  her  household  at  Cottage  Cres 
cent,  Bath,  in  the  county  of  Somersetshire,  England. 
The  generosity  of  Avis,  whose  income  was  by  no  means 
ample,  afforded  them  a  subsistence  during  the  remainder 
of  his  life.  In  the  mean  time,  as  is  disclosed  by  his  cor 
respondence,  he  strove  arduously,  but  fruitlessly,  to  gain 
employment. 

Disheartened  by  disappointment,  and  suffering  from 
unusual  exposure,  Mrs.  Blennerhassett's  health  was  found 
to  be  rapidly  declining.  The  climate  had  proven  too 
rigorous  for  a  constitution  already  impaired,  and  the  dis- 


HOPE  ON!  641 

< 
ease,*  to  which  she  had  long  been  subject,  became  greatly 

aggravated.  A  removal  to  another  locality,  where  the 
changes  were  less  extreme,  was  advised  by  her  physician 
as  the  only  certain  measure  of  relief,  The  Island  of 
Jersey,  in  the  British  channel,  was  accordingly  determ 
ined  on  ;  thither  they  removed,  accompanied  by  the 
sister  Avis. 

A  change  of  Administration  had  been  but  recently 
effected  in  the  Government,  and  Lord  Anglesey  was 
placed  at  the  head  of  the  Ordnance  Department.  Blen- 
nerhassett  determined  once  more  to  appeal  to  the  gener 
osity  of  his  friend,  and  addressed  him  the  following  letter  : 


ST.  AUBIN,  JERSEY,  May  31s£,  1827. 

MY  LORD:  —  With  what  feelings  I  participated  in  the 
general  satisfaction  expressed  by  the  better  part  of  the 
public  on  the  triumphant  establishment  of  the  present 
Administration  since  your  Lordship's  acceptance  of  office 
in  it,  the  correspondence  I  have  been  honored  with  by 
you,  from  1819  to  1823,  will  more  fully  attest  than  I  could 
by  any  assurances. 

I  hope  that,  in  inditing  this  letter,  I  shall  not  have  ob 
truded  upon  the  indulgence  which  has  always  heard  and 
answered  me.  Encouraged  by  such  reflections,  I  now 
beg  leave  to  state,  that  my  chief  motive  for  this  address 
is  an  anxious  desire  to  offer  to  your  Lordship's  considera- 
ation  certain  suggestions  relating  to  our  cannon  and 
musketry  in  proposals  for  improvements  in  fabricating 
cannon,  by  which  a  24-pounder,  for  instance,  may  be 


*  Inflammation  of  the  heart. 

41 


I 

642  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPRRS. 

made  of  higher  proof,  and  of  half  the  weight,  and  at 
nearly  one-half  the  cost  of  the  present  pieces  of  the 
same  caliber.  If  this  can  be  realized,  of  which  I  have 
no  doubt  whatever,  though  the  plan  was  rejected  by  a 
committee  appointed  to  examine  it  in  the  Duke  of  "Wel 
lington's  Administration,  who  were  assuredly  mistaken, 
both  as  to  the  facts  and  principles  on  which  the  plan  is 
founded,  what  an  accession  of  effect  and  saving  will  be 
gained  in  naval  as  well  as  military  projectiles,  your  judg 
ment  will  not  fail  to  discover.  The  expense,  however,  of 
an  experiment  to  settle  the  question  would  hardly  cost 
Government  £100. 

The  second  proposal  has  for  its  object  the  means  of 
giving  to  the  musket  now  in  use  all  the  precision  and 
effect  of  the  rifle,  without  any  alteration  of  the  piece 
whatsoever,  and  also  without  lessening  or  at  all  interfer 
ing  with  the  present  rate  of  time  taken  up  in  loading. 
The  object  is  effected  by  a  new  mode  of  making  the 
balls,  and  which  is  also  more  speedy  and  economical  than 
the  present.  The  success  of  this  improvement  on  the 
effect  of  the  musket  is  unquestionable,  and  has  received 
the  approbation  of  several  military  men,  to  whom  it  has 
been  proposed. 

During  my  retirement  from  Canada,  residing  here  with 
my  family  on  a  small  income,  I  have  abandoned  all  views 
of  resuming  law-practice,  unless  in  an  official  situation 
befitting  a  barrister  of  1790.  Any  civil  appointment, 
however,  in  your  Lordship's  department,  at  a  European 
station,  that  could  be  conveniently  offered  me ;  or  one  in 
Europe  or  America  for  a  deserving  son,  or  a  present  or 
future  vacancy,  would  be  most  gratefully  accepted. 


DISAPPOINTMENT.  643 

I  pray  to  be  informed,  whether  I  may  or  may  not  ad 
dress  you  officially,  tendering  the  foregoing  proposals,  for 
lessening  the  cost  and  increasing  the  effect  of  ordnance 
and  musketry  for  the  advancement  of  her  Majesty's 
service.  I  have  the  honor  to  be,  etc., 

HARMAN  BLENNERHASSETT. 


REPLY. 

OFFICE  OF  ORDNANCE,  June  9th,  1827. 

SIR: — I  am  directed  by  the  Marquis  of  Anglesey  to 
acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your  letter  of  the  81st  ult., 
and  to  acquaint  you  that  his  Lordship  will  be  happy  to 
receive  the  suggestions  which  you  may  have  to  offer,  and 
will  submit  them  to  the  consideration  of  the  committee, 
whose  province  it  is  to  examine  and  report  upon  the 
various  projects  brought  before  this  department.  With 
respect  to  your  request,  an  appointment,  Lord  Anglesey 
regrets  extremely,  that  the  long  list  of  pressing  claims, 
received  from  his  predecessor,  and  the  very  limited  means 
of  attending  to  them,  will  not  allow  his  Lordship  to  hold 
out  any  expectation  that  it  will  be  in  his  power  to  offer 
to  your  acceptance  any  appointment. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  sir,  your  obedient  servant, 

WM.  GOSSETT. 
EL  BLENNERHASSETT,  ESQ. 

To  Harman  Blennerhassett,  Junior. 

GUERNSEY,  December  &h,  1828. 

MY  DEAR  SON  : — On  the  30th  ult.,  my  dear  Harman,  we 
received  your  letter  of  the  8th  November.  We  grieve  to 


644  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

learn  by  it  that  you  labor  under  pecuniary  embarrass 
ments  we  can  not  at  present  relieve.  *  *  * 
###  *  *  *  *  * 

Since  we  had  your  September  letter,  I  have  heartily 
rejoiced  at  the  station  you  had  acquired  in  civil  life  by 
the  attainment  of  a  profession  in  the  practice  of  which  I 
hope  and  believe  you  will  reach  a  standing  to  insure  you 
a  competency,  if  not  a  fortune.  And  with  a  view  to 
your  success  I  will  now  present  a  few  observations  to 
your  consideration. 

The  field  of  advice  to  a  young  lawyer  is  so  large  that 
it  is  not  easy  to  choose  on  which  side  to  enter  it.  I  shall 
therefore  only  touch,  as  it  were,  upon  the  confines  of  the 
region  of  study,  by  advising  you  to  refuse  your  mind  to 
matters  of  detail  in  it,  but  seize  and  treasure  up  in  mem 
ory  the  principles  and  points  which  you  can  draw  from 
it  for  the  occasion  of  pleading  and  forensic  argumenta 
tion,  in  which  your  adversary  may  not,  perhaps,  be  able 
to  say  as  you  can,  "  Condo  et  comparo  quod  mox  depromere 
passim" 

Blackstone,  omitting  his  feudal  system  and  such  other 
parts  of  the  work  as,  on  first  reading,  you  can  mark  off 
as  inapplicable  to  American  polity  and  jurisprudence, 
should  be  your  text-book.  It  will  furnish  the  principles 
which  will  best  prepare  you  to  study  those  constitutions 
and  laws  of  which  you  are  now  called  upon,  in  some  de 
gree,  to  direct  the  administration  in  your  practice.  In 
this  work  you  ought  to  contemplate  your  vocation  from 
a  high  post  of  responsibility,  which  the  full  discharge  of 
duty  will  reward  with  the  full  meed  of  honor  and  profit. 
This  sentiment  will  be  well  supported  by  your  habitual 


ADVICE.  645 

principles  of  candor  and  integrity,  which  will  secure  to 
you  the  favor  and  countenance  of  the  Court,  which  you 
must  ever  conciliate  by  decent  humility,  without  servil 
ity;  but  it  will  expose  you  to  insidious  attacks  of  chi 
canery,  in  practice  by  your  opponents,  ever  on  the  watch 
to  overreach  your  contingent  neglect  of  rules,  orders  or 
notices,  which  your  vigilance  must  aid  your  industry  to 
counteract  in  season. 

In  your  public  speaking  you  must  be  no  competitor  for 
the  palm  of  eloquence.  Leaving  others  to  aspire  to  that 
object,  it  must  be  your  aim  to  stand  before  the  Court  on 
the  facts,  on  which  you  can  show  the  law  and  reason  of 
your  case  upon  solemn  argument.  When  addressing  a 
jury,  or  examining  a  witness,  you  must  rather  engage  the 
feelings  of  the  former  by  seeming  to  participate  in  what 
ever  bias  you  have  reason  to  suspect  they  entertain, 
whether  derived  from  rumor  or  personal  prejudice,  as 
you  must  endeavor  to  win  the  confidence  of  the  latter 
by  the  urbanity  of  your  manner  of  interrogation,  through 
which  you  can  best  throw  him  off  his  guard  against  your 
real  purpose,  until  you  have  fixed  him  on  one  horn  of  a 
dilemma,  from  which  he  has  no  escape  but  in  the  conclu 
sions  you  have  in  view.  This  is,  indeed,  one  of  the  evo 
lutions  of  practice,  requiring  the  greatest  dexterity  and 
address,  but  yet  to  be  executed  with  more  or  less  success 
through  exercise,  directed  by  observation  and  judgment, 
which  time  and  industry  will  supply,  but  it  is  never  to  be 
obtained  when  marred  by  fits  of  irritability  of  temper, 
against  which,  through  regard  for  character  and  true 
interest,  you  should  ever  be  on  your  guard,  through 
all  trials  of  life,  especially  those  of  your  practice. 


646  THE  BLEXNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

These  observations,  drawn  from  the  sources  of  my  own 
experience,  I  shall  close  here  at  present.*     I  have  for- 


*  The  advice  here  given  by  Blennerhassett  to  his  son,  on  entering  the 
practice  of  law,  is  perhaps  more  spiritedly  given  by  an  Irish  gentleman, 
as  related  by  Mr.  Shell :  "  A  young  barrister,"  says  he,  "  who  looks  to 
eminence  from  his  own  sheer,  unaided  merits,  must  have  a  mind  and  frame 
prepared  by  nature  for  the  endurance  of  unremitting  toil.  He  must  cram 
his  memory  with  the  arbitrary  principles  of  a  complex  and  incongruous 
code,  and  be  equally  prepared,  as  occasion  serves,  to  apply  or  misapply 
them.  He  must  not  only  surpass  his  competitors  in  the  art  of  reasoning 
right  from  right  principles — the  logic  of  common  life — but  he  must  be 
equally  an  adept  in  reasoning  right  from  wrong  principles,  and  wrong 
from  right  ones.  He  must  learn  to  glory  in  a  perplexing  sophistry,  as  in  the 
discovery  of  an  immortal  truth.  He  must  make  up  his  mind  and  his  face 
to  demonstrate,  in  open  court,  with  all  imaginable  gravity,  that  nonsense 
is  replete  with  meaning,  and  that  the  clearest  meaning  is  manifestly  non 
sense  by  construction.  This  is  merit,  by  'legal  habit  of  thinking;'  and 
to  acquire  them,  he  must  not  only  prepare  bis  faculties  by  a  course  of 
assiduous  and  direct  cultivation,  but  he  must  absolutely  forswear  all  other 
studies  and  speculations  that  may  interfere  with  their  perfection.  There 
must  be  no  dallying  with  literature ;  no  hankering  after  comprehensive 
theories  for  the  good  of  men ;  away  must  be  wiped  all  such  '  trivial  fond 
records.'  He  must  keep  to  his  digests  and  indexes.  He  must  see  nothing 
in  mankind  but  a  great  collection  of  plaintiffs  and  defendants,  and  con 
sider  no  revolution  in  their  affairs  as  comparable,  in  interest,  to  the  last 
term  reports  of  points  of  practice  decided  in  banco  regis.  As  he  walks  the 
streets,  he  must  give  way  to  no  sentimental  imisings.  There  must  be  no 
'  commercing  with  the  skies,  no  idle  dreams  of  love,  and  rainbows,  and 
poetic  forms,'  and  all  the  bright  illusions  upon  which  the  '  fancy  free'  can 
feast.  If  a  thought  of  love  intrudes,  it  must  be  connected  with  the  law 
of  marriage  settlements,  and  articles  of  separation  from  bed  and  board. 
So  of  the  other  passions,  and  of  every  the  most  interesting  incident 
and  situation  in  human  life — -he  must  view  them  all  with  reference  to  their 
legal  effect  and  operation.  If  a  funeral  passes  by,  instead  of  permitting 
his  imagination  to  follow  the  mourners  to  the  grave,  he  must  consider  how 
far  the  executor  may  not  have  made  himself  liable  for  a  waste  of  assets 
by  some  supernumerary  plumes  and  hat-bands,  beyond  '  the  state  and  cir 
cumstances  of  the  deceased;'  or,  if  his  eye  should  light  upon  a  requisi 
tion  for  a  public  meeting  to  petition  against  a  grievance,  he  must  regard 
the  grievance  as  immaterial,  but  bethink  himself  whether  the  wording  of 
the  requisition  be  strictly  warrantable  under  the  provisions  of  the  Con 
vention  Act. 


FRATERNAL.  647 

borne  until  now  to  speak  of  my  own  health.  It  is,  for 
my  time  of  life,  good,  save  a  paralytic  affection  of  the  left 
arm  and  side,  which  has  not  left  me  since  the  28th  of  last 
May,  when  it  seized  me.  How  it  may  terminate  I  know 
not,  but  whenever  I  shall  be  called  away  from  this  sub 
lunary,  to  another,  and  I  doubt  not  a  better  state,  I  shall 
not  apprehend  that  my  soul  will  be  any  thing  less  jocular 
there  than  here.  That  thought  in  the  Emperor  Adrian's 
soliloquy,  or  rather  address,  to  his  departing  soul,  is  not 
so  happily  conceived  as  the  sportive  playfulness  with 
which  he  expresses  in  beautiful  diminutives  his  philo 
sophical  composure,  in  articulo  mortis — a  moment  of  trial 


"  Such  is  a  part,  and  a  very  small  part,  of  the  probationary  discipline  to 
which  the  young  candidate  for  forensic  eminence  must  be  prepared  to  sub 
mit  ;  and  if  he  can  hold  out  for  ten  or  fifteen  years,  his  superior  claims 
may  begin  to  be  known  and  rewarded.  But  success  will  bring  no  dimi 
nution  of  toil  and  self-denial.  The  bodily  and  mental  labor  alone  of  a  suc 
cessful  barrister's  life  would  be  sufficient,  if  known  beforehand,  to  appal 
the  stoutest.  Besides  this,  it  has  many  peculiar  rubs  and  annoyances. 
His  life  is  passed  in  a  tumult  of  perpetual  contention,  and  he  must  make 
up  his  sensibility  to  give  and  receive  the  hardest  knocks.  He  has  no  choice 
of  cases ;  he  must  throw  himself,  heart  and  soul,  into  the  most  unpromis 
ing  that  is  confided  to  him.  He  must  fight  pitched  battles  with  obstreperous 
witnesses.  He  must  have  lungs  to  out  clamor  the  most  clamorous.  He  must 
make  speeches  without.  He  must  keep  battering  for  hours  at  a  jury  that  he 
sees  to  be  impregnable.  He  is  before  the  public,  and  at  the  mercy  of  public 
opinion ;  and  if  every  nerve  be  not  strained  to  the  utmost  to  achieve  what 
is  impossible,  the  public,  with  its  usual  good  nature,  will  attribute  the  fail 
ure  to  want  of  zeal  or  capacity  in  the  advocate,  to  any  thing,  rather  th*an 
the  badness  of  the  cause.  Finally,  he  must  appear  to  be  sanguine,  even 
after  a  defeat;  and  be  prepared  to  tell  a  knavish  client  that  has  been 
beaten  out  of  the  courts  of  common  law,  that  his  '  is  a  clear  case  for  relief 
in  equity.'  The  man  who  can  do  all  this  deserves  to  succeed,  and  will  suc 
ceed  ;  but  I  will  not  discourage  my  young  American  aspirants,  that,  in  the 
United  States,  they  may  not  '  rationally  expect  to  arrive  at  eminence  in 
their  profession  upon  less  rigorous  conditions.' " 


648  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

so  fearfully  met  by  vulgar  hearts.  I  am  so  far  sunk  in 
practice,  through  dissuetude  in  my  Latin,  that  I  can  not 
set  about  a  letter  in  that  language.  The  lines  are  these  : 

"  Anima  vagula  blandula 
Hospes  comesque  corporis, 
Quo  nunc  abidis  in  loco? 
Palidula,  frigida,  stridalis, 
Nee  dabis  ut  soles  joca !  "  * 

The  epithet  "  vagula  blandula  "  beautifully  characterizes 
the  departing  spirit's  mild  nature,  and  its  being  on  the 
wing  to  seek  its  resting  in  unknown  regions ;  but  those 
in  the  last  line  but  one  are,  to  my  taste,  unhappily  chosen, 
as  they  exhibit  the  soul  like  a  vulgar  ghost  or  specter, 
bearing  about  it  enough  of  a  camel  covering  sufficient  to 
exhibit  our  Divine  spark ! — a  pale,  shrieking,  chilled 
being,  not,  indeed,  capable  of  jesting.  *  *  * 

Your  fond  father,  HARMAN  BLENNERHASSETT. 

The  attack  of  paralysis  of  which  he  writes  was  the 
premonition  of  his  closing  career,  "  The  silver  cord  was 
loosed,  and  the  golden  bowl  broken."  He  lingered  for 
sometime  after ;  but  death,  as  he  intimates,  would  at  any 
time  have  been  a  pleasant  messenger.  The  light  of  his 
intellect  was  fading,  and  his  grasp  on  earthly  hopes 
rapidly  relaxing.  After  a  residence  of  three  years  at  St. 


'  0  sweet,  roving  spirit, 
Guest  and  companion  of  my  body, 
Where  now  will  you  go  ? 
Pale,  cold  and  shrieking  creature, 
No  more,  as  once,  will  you  be  capable  of  jesting." 


HIS    DEATH.  649 

Aubin,  it  was  deemed  advisable  to  remove  to  the  Island 
of  Guernsey,  where  the  landed  property  of  Avis  was 
situate.  Here,  at  Port  Pierre,  a  second,  and  then  a  third 
attack  followed ;  and,  on  the  1st  of  February,  1831, 
wearied  with  life,  he  sank  to  rest,  in  the  sixty-third  year 
of  his  age,  with  his  head  pillowed  on  that  bosom  which, 
for  thirty -five  years,  had  throbbed  in  perfect  unison  with 
his  own. 

Thus  has  it  been  attempted  to  portray  the  life  and 
character  of  Blennerhassett.  From  youth  to  age,  and 
finally  to  the  grave,  we  have  followed  his  footsteps,  with 
an  interest  excited  more  through  our  sympathy  than  our 
admiration  of  the  man.  In  his  life,  there  is  really  noth 
ing  remarkable.  His  scientific  acquirements  never  gave 
to  mankind  one  single  truth,  nor  devised  a  plan  for  the 
benefit  of  the  human  race.  His  is  not  that  fame  which 
bedecks  with  laurels  the  brow  of  the  hero,  or  follows 
those  acts  which  the  world  regards  as  sublimely  great. 
Of  these,  indeed,  he  was  never  emulous.  His  native 
country  afforded  him  the  finest  fields  for  militaiy  noto 
riety  ;  and  as  for  political  preferment,  the  times  in  which 
he  lived  were  propitious  to  the  aspirant.  The  names  of 
his  compeers  will  descend  to  posterity  in  living  colors  as 
long  as  down-trodden  Ireland'  shall  retain  a  place  on  the 
page  of  history.  That  celebrity  which  attended  his  name 
was  not  of  his  seeking.  His  was  the  peculiar  tempera 
ment,  fitted  better  for  the  enjoyments  of  private  life  than 
the  battle-field  or  the  political  arena.  For  this,  he  re 
signed  magnificence  and  ease  for  obscurity  in  a  western 
wilderness,  where  he  enjoyed,  for  a  time,  that  uninter- 


650  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

rupted  repose  which  had  so  long  attracted  his  fancy. 
There,  too,  he  would  have  doubtless  remained  hut  for 
the  circumstances  heretofore  narrated. 

At  the  death  of  her  husband,  Mrs.  Blennerhassett  was 
left  with  a  family  of  dependent  children,  for  whom  her 
greatest  exertions  could  hardly  procure  subsistence.  Long 
and  arduously  she  toiled,  both  mentally  and  physically, 
to  avoid  impending  poverty.  It  was  not  only  necessary 
that  they  should  be  fed  and  clothed,  but  it  was  also  im 
portant  that  they  should  receive  such  an  education  as 
would,  at  least,  fit  them  for  the  business  transactions  of 
life.  She  had  now  arrived  at  an  age  when  elasticity,  both 
of  body  and  mind,  was  nearly  destroyed;  and  this  of 
itself  was  sufficient  to  prevent  any  expectation  of  future 
success.  Under  such  gloomy  prospects,  she  resolved  to 
visit  the  United  States  and  petition  the  Government  for 
relief. 

In  this,  she  is  not  to  be  regarded  as  a  mendicant  asking 
for  alms,  but  rather  as  asserting  her  rights ; — rights  most 
wantonly  violated  by  the  officers  of  a  government  pledged 
to  the  protection  of  its  citizens.  The  agents  of  the  Pres 
ident  had  not  only  detained  the  boats  and  stores  prepared 
for  the  enterprise  of  Burr,  but  had  actually  destroyed  the 
former  and  consumed  the  latter.  They  had  invaded  the 
sanctity  of  her  household;  had  appropriated  to  them 
selves  and  wasted  her  provisions ;  broken  her  furniture ; 
laid  waste  the  gardens;  torn  down  the  fences;  and  had 
done  serious  injury  to  the  mansion.  They  had  put  Blen 
nerhassett  to  an  enormous  expense  in  defending  himself  at 
Richmond ;  they,  in  fact,  had  reduced  him  from  affluence 


TO    CONGRESS.  651 

to  comparative  poverty.  Was  this  extraordinary  sacri 
fice  to  be  justified,  and  its  victims  to  remain  unsatisfied 
from  the  mere  fact  that  Blennerhassett  was  accused  of 
hostility  toward  the  Government  ?  Could  such  an  inva 
sion  of  private  rights  have  been  legalized,  if  he  had  been 
found  guilty  of  the  acts  with  which  he  was  charged  ? 

In  the  year  1842,  Mrs.  Blennerhassett,  with  an  invalid 
son,  visited  ISTew  York,  and,  through  the  hands  of  her 
friends,  preferred  a  petition  to  Congress.  "With  a  meek 
ness  of  disposition  which  is  remarkable,  when  we  recol 
lect  her  grievances,  she  says : 

"  Your  memorialist  does  not  desire  to  exaggerate  the 
conduct  of  the  said  armed  men,  or  the  injuries  done  by 
them ;  but  she  can  truly  say,  that,  before  their  visit,  the 
residence  of  her  family  had  been  noted  for  its  elegance 
and  high  state  of  improvement ;  and  that  they  left  it  in  a 
comparative  state  of  ruin  and  waste.  And,  as  instances 
of  the  mischievous  and  destructive  spirit  which  appeared 
to  govern  them,  she  would  mention,  that,  while  they 
occupied  as  a  guard-room  one  of  the  best  apartments  in 
the  house,  the  building  of  which  cost  nearly  forty  thou 
sand  dollars,  a  musket  or  rifle  ball  was  deliberately  fired 
into  the  ceiling,  by  which  it  was  much  defaced  and  in 
jured  ;  and  that  they  wantonly  destroyed  many  pieces  of 
valuable  furniture.  She  would  also  state  that,  being  ap 
parently  under  no  restraint,  they  indulged  in  continual 
drunkenness  and  riot,  offering  many  indignities  to  your 
memorialist  and  treating  her  domestics  with  violence. 

"  These  outrages  were  committed  upon  an  unoffending 
and  defenseless  family,  in  the  absence  of  their  natural 


652  THE  BLENNERHASSETT  PAPERS. 

protector,  your  memorialist's  husband  being  then  away 
from  home ;  and  that,  in  answer  to  such  remonstrances 
as  she  ventured  to  make  against  the  consumption,  waste 
and  destruction  of  his  property,  she  was  told,  by  those 
who  assumed  to  have  the  command,  that  they  held  the 
property  for  the  United  States,  by  order  of  the  President, 
and  were  privileged  to  use  it,  and  should  use  it  as  they 
pleased.  It  is  with  pain  that  your  memorialist  reverts  to 
events,  which,  in  their  consequences,  have  reduced  a  once 
happy  family,  from  affluence  and  comfort,  to  comparative 
want  and  wretchedness ;  which  blighted  the  prospects  of 
her  children,  and  made  herself,  in  the  decline  of  life,  a 
wanderer  on  the  face  of  the  earth." 

Robert  Emmett,  the  son  of  Thomas  Addis,  and  nephew 
of  the  celebrated  Irish  patriot,  interested  himself  in  her 
behalf.  He  had  been  the  intimate  friend  of  Blennerhas- 
sett,  and  sympathized  deeply  with  his  afflicted  family. 
In  forwarding  her  memorial  to  the  Hon.  Henry  Clay  of 
the  United  States  Senate,  he  remarks:  "Mrs.  Blenner- 
hassett  is  now  in  this  (New  York)  city,  residing  in  very 
humble  circumstances,  bestowing  her  cares  on  a  son,  who, 
by  long  poverty  and  sickness,  is  reduced  to  utter  imbe 
cility,  both  of  body  and  mind ;  unable  to  assist  her,  or 
provide  for  his  own  wants.  In  her  present  destitute  situ 
ation,  the  smallest  amount  of  relief  would  be  thankfully 
received  by  her.  Her  condition  is  one  of  absolute  want, 
and  she  has  but  a  short  time  left  to  enjoy  any  better  for 
tune  in  this  world."* 

*  Mrs.  B.  was  in  the  receipt  of  a  small  rent  received  from  a  house  in 
England,  left  to  the  family  by  the  sister  of  Blennerhassett. 


JUSTICE. 

Her  statement,  with  regard  to  the  destruction  of  her 
property,  and  the  acts  of  the  officers  of  the  Government, 
were  fully  corroborated  by  William  Robinson,  jun.,  and 
Morgan  Neville,  both  of  whom  were  present  at  the  island 
when  the  occurrences  took  place.  An  estimate  of  the 
property  destroyed  was  made  out  by  Dudley  Woodbridge, 
the  former  partner  of  Blennerhassett  in  mercantile  trans 
actions,  which  also  accompanied  her  petition. 

It  would  be  presumed  that,  under  such  a  state  of  cir 
cumstances,  the  American  Congress  would  not  long  hesi 
tate  in  granting  her  full  indemnity  for  past  injuries.  Mr. 
Clay  presented  the  petition,  and  eloquently  advocated  its 
justice.  He  had  known  Blennerhassett  in  the  noontide 
of  his  prosperity,  when  not  a  cloud  darkened  the  horizon 
of  his  effulgent  future  ;  he  had  visited  his  rural  palace, 
and  regaled  himself  with  the  luxuries  it  afforded.  He 
had  partaken  of  its  hospitalities,  and  been  entertained  by 
the  sprightly  conversation  of  its  inmates.  He  had  wit 
nessed  Blennerhassett's  arrest,  in  Kentucky,  and  man 
fully  exerted  himself  in  his  defense.  He  had  afterward 
witnessed  his  declining  fortunes ;  and,  when  destruction 
had  laid  waste  his  possessions,  had  wandered  over  .the 
ruins  with  feelings  of  unsuppressed  sympathy. 

The  memorial  having  been  referred  to  the  appropriate 
committee,  of  which  the  Hon.  William  Woodbridge  was 
chairman,  he  returned  a  report,  alike  honorable  to  his 
intelligence  and  clear  sense  of  justice.  He  advocated  the 
claim  as  legal  and  proper,  and  one  which  ought  to  be 
allowed,  notwithstanding  it  had  been  thirty-six  years 
since  the  events  transpired.  "  Not  to  do  so  would  be  un 
worthy  a  wise  or  just  nation." 


654:  THE    BLENNERHASSETT    PAPERS. 

The  claim  would  doubtless  have  met  with  the  favor  of 
Congress,  had  not  an  event  transpired,  in  the  meanwhile, 
which  rendered  further  action  unnecessary.  Death  had 
visited  the  suffering  applicant,  and  relieved  her  of  earthly 
wants.  In  a  humhle  abode,  in  the  city  of  !N"ew  York, 
her  spirit  had  silently  departed  !  No  soothing  hand  of  a 
relative  fanned  her  fevered  temples,  nor  wiped  from  her 
brow  the  chilly  dews  of  expiring  nature.  Within  that 
lonely  chamber,  it  was  reserved  to  strangers  to  witness 
the  last  sad  scenes.  She,  who  had  been  born  in  affluence ; 
to  whom  the  world  appeared,  in  early  life,  as  Paradise 
before  the  fall ;  who  had  been  honored  by  the  attentions 
of  the  great  and  the  praises  of  the  humble ;  whose  heart 
was  ever  open  to  the  cries  of  distress,  and  whose  hands 
were  ever  ready  to  relieve  the  wants  of  the  needy,  had, 
in  her  turn,  to  ask  the  charities  of  the  world  !  Although 
the  kindly  ministrations  of  a  society  of  Irish  females 
served,  in  some  measure,  to  assuage  the  agonies  of  her 
parting  hours,  still  it  was  hard  to  die  thus  destitute  and 
deserted ;  for 

"  On  some  fond  breast  the  parting  soul  relies, 
Some  pious  drops  the  closing  eye  requires." 

And  now,  as  the  sable  hearse  moved  slowly  along,  fol 
lowed  only  by  those  devoted  "  sisters  of  charity,"  it  ex 
cited  no  interest  in  the  passing  crowd.  ~No  mock  pageant 
indicated  the  life  or  station  of  the  deceased.  In  one  of 
the  cemeteries  of  that  city  remains  all  that  is  earthly  of 
that  once  accomplished  lady,  separated  from  the  tomb  of 
her  husband  by  the  wide  Atlantic.  While  on  their 


REQUIESCAT.  655 

graves  \TC  "  clrr»p /the,  trjbuto  of  a  tear,"  may  we  never 
forget  the  lesson  taug'ot  ns  by  their  lives.* 


*  It  is  proper  >o  add  that  the  son  H>i?n$iiJL  xiied.  in  the  city  of  New  York, 
in  1854,  after  a  protracted  illness,  in  which  he  Was  attended  by  the  good 
offices  of  the  ladies  of  the  "Old  Brewery"  mission.  Joseph  Lewis  Blen- 
nerhassett,  the  last  survivor,  is  engaged,  at  the  present  time,  in  the  prac 
tice  of  law  at  Troy,  Lincoln  county,  Missouri,  from  whom  the  manuscripts 
for  this  memoir  were  obtained. 


'  :  .  :      ..   .  -  ,       ••  <        '  •     •«•*»£ 


APPENDIX.  657 


APPENDIX: 


i. 

SECRET     CORRESPONDENCE. 

GENERAL  WILKINSON  and  Burr  began  their  correspondence 
in  cipher  about  the  years  1800  and  1801,  near  the  period  at 
which  the  latter  ascended  the  chair  of  the  Vice-Presidency. 
For  this  purpose  they  adopted  three  different  ciphers. 

The  first  is  called  the  hieroglyphic : 

X  1/2)  -  O^l-f-^V"V^ y^vo-A" 

O   President. 

O   Vice-President. 

-i-  Secretary  of  State. 

It  was  invented  by  General  Wilkinson  and  Captain  Camp 
bell  Smith  as  long  ago  as  the  year  1794,  '95,  or  '96,  for  the 
purpose  of  communicating  confidentially  with  the  general  offi 
cers  in  the  Western  country. 

Another  cipher,  of  a  somewhat  similar  construction,  was  de 
vised  by  Captain  Smith  in  1791,  in  which  the  hieroglyphics 
representing  the  President  and  Vice-President  are  the  same 
with  those  used  in  the  cipher  of  Col.  Burr. 

The  second  is  denominated  the  arbitrary  alphabet  cipher; 
and  was  formed  by  Burr  and  Wilkinson  in  the  year  1799  or 

1800. 

ABCDEFGH. 

-    i    x   x  A   V  J   & 

1234 

T    L   J   n 

42 


658  APPENDIX. 

This  cipher  was  nothing  more  than  a  substitution  of  char 
acters  in  the  place  of  letters  which  actually  compose  the  alpha 
bet.  It  was  also  used  in  figures,  from  one  to  ten. 

The  third  is  styled  the  dictionary  cipher  •  and  was  adopted 
by  them  in  the  year  1800.  The  famous  letters  from  Burr  to 
Wilkinson,  of  the  22d  July,  1806,  delivered  by  Swartwout  at 
Natchez,  and  its  duplicate  of  the  29th  of  the  same  month, 
conveyed  to  Bollman,  were  written  partly  in  each  of  these  two 
ciphers,  and  partly  in  English.  The  Wilmington  edition  of 
Entick's  Pocket  Dictionary  of  1800  served  as  the  key,  by 
which  such  part  of  the  letters  as  were  written  in  figures  were 
to  be  interpreted.  For  example,  if  the  figures  3  and  4  were 
used,  the  figure  3  pointed  out  the  page  in  the  book,  and  4  the 
number  of  the  word  intended — counting  from  the  top  in  the 
first  or  second  column  on  the  page,  which  latter  circumstance 
was  indicated  by  a  slight  mark  above  or  below  the  4. 

General  Dayton's  letters  of  the  16th  and  24th  July,  which 
were  forwarded  in  company  with  Burr's  by  Swartwout  and 
Bollman,  were  written  partly  in  hieroglyphics  and  the '  arbi 
trary  alphabetical  ciphers,  above  described,  partly  in  English, 
but  principally  in  Dayton's  own  cipher,  of  which  the  key-word 
is  FRANCE. 

It  is  composed  in  the  following  manner,  the  letters  of  the 
alphabet  being  numbered  thus  : 

1234567890 
abode  fghij 

In  order  to  decipher  a  letter  or  passage  written  in  cipher, 
take  the  first  letter  of  the  key-word  F,  fix  on  the  letter  in  the 
series  of  the  alphabet;  count  forward  from  that  letter  as  many 
letters  as  are  equal  to  the  first  figure  in  the  ciphered  letter; 
as  8,  for  example,  which  will  give  I,  and  I  will  be  the  first 
letter  of  the  first  word;  then  take  the  second  letter  of  the 


APPENDIX.  659 

key-word  R,  and,  in  the  same  manner  as  in  the  first  instance, 
count  forward  as  many  letters  as  are  equal  to  the  second  fig 
ure  ;  as  2,  which  will  give  the  second  letter  T,  completing 
the  first  word,  It.  Continue  the  same  way  with  the  ensuing 
letters  of  the  key-word,  until  they  are  finished ;  and  then 
begin  again  —  thus  going  through  the  key-word  again  and 
again  until  the  letter  is  completed. 

In  the  ciphered  letter  the  figure,  or  aggregate  of  figures  rep 
resenting  words,  are  separated  by  commas. 

There  was  another  cipher  in  use  among  some  of  the  accom 
plices  in  this  enterprise,  the  key-word  of  which  was  CUBA. 
The  use  of  this  cipher  may  be  understood  from  the  following 
scheme  and  explanations  : 


1 

C 

U 

B 

A 

2 

.  .  d 

.  .  v 

.  .  c 

.  .  b 

3 

,  .  e 

.  .  w 

.  .  d 

.  .  c 

4 

..  f 

.  .  X 

.  .  e 

.  .  d 

5 

•  •  g 

•  •  y 

.  .  f 

.  .  e 

6 

.  .  h 

.  .  z 

•  •  g 

..  f 

7 

.  .  i 

.  .  a 

..  h 

•  •  g 

8 

•  •  J 

.  .  b 

.  .  i 

.  .  h 

9 

.  .  k 

.  .  c 

•  J 

.  .  i 

10 

.  .  1 

.  .  d 

.  .  k 

•  •  J 

11 

.  .  m 

.  .  e 

.  .  1 

.  .  k 

12 

.  .  n 

.  .  f 

.  .  m 

.  .  1 

13 

.  .  o 

cr 

.  .  n 

.  .  m 

14 

.  .  p 

.  .  h 

.  .  0 

.  .  n 

15 

•  •  q 

.  .  i 

.  .  p 

.  .  0 

16 

.  .  r 

•  •  J 

.  .  q 

.  .  p 

17 

.  .  s 

.  .  k 

.  .  r 

.  .  q 

18 

.  .  t 

..  1 

.  .  s 

.  .  r 

19 

.  .  u 

.  .  m 

.  .  t 

.  .  s 

20 

.  .  V 

.  .  n 

.  .  u 

.  .  t 

21 

.  .  w 

.  .  0 

.  .  V 

.  .  u 

22 

.  .  X 

.  .  p 

.  .  w 

.  .  V 

23 

•  •  y 

.  .  q 

.  .  X 

.  .  w 

24 

.  .  z 

.  .  r 

•  •  y 

.  .  X 

25 

.  .  a 

.  .  s 

.  .  z 

•  •  y 

26 

.  b 

.  t 

.  .  a 

.  .  z 

660  APPENDIX. 

In  order  to  compose  a  letter  in  this  species  of  cipher,  find 
in  the  column  under  the  first  letter  in  the  key-word  the  first 
letter  of  the  word  which  you  wish  to  write,  and  the  figure 
opposite  to  this  letter  represents  the  first  letter  of  that  word. 
To  find  the  figure  expressive  of  the  second  letter,  look  for 
that  letter  in  the  second  column,  and  the  figure  opposite  to 
that  letter,  represents  the  second  letter  in  the  word.  Continue 
in  the  same  way  with  respect  to  the  other  two  columns,  if  it 
be  a  word  of  three  or  four  letters.  But  if  it  contains  more 
than  four  letters,  you  must  return  to  the  first  column,  and 
proceed  in  the  same  manner ;  that  is,  the  fifth  letter  of  the 
word  is  to  be  found  in  the  first  column  under  0 ;  the  sixth 
letter  in  the  second  column,  and  so  on.  Thus,  if  Hope  was 
the  first  word  in  the  epistle,  look  for  the  letter  H  in  the  first 
column  under  C,  which  is  opposite  the  figure  6  as  the  repre 
sentative  of  the  first  letter;  the  letter  0  is  to  be  sought  for 
in  the  second  column,  and  is  represented  by  the  number  21 ; 
and  so  on  with  the  letters  P  and  E. 

In  the  ciphered  letters,  the  figures  representing  letters  are 
separated  by  periods. 

The  reader  will  immediately  perceive  that  besides  France 
and  Cuba,  any  other  words  might  be  used  as  key-words  of 
these  ciphers,  according  to  the  discretion  of  the  writer  and 
his  correspondent.  The  difficulty  of  discovering  the  key  to 
one  of  these  ciphered  letters  would  be  still  further  augmented 
by  the  writer's  shifting  his  key-word  for  different  epistles, 
according  to  some  rule  previously  agreed  on.  The  difficulty 
would  be  incalculably  increased,  if  the  writer  not  only  con 
tinues  to  shift  his  key -word,  but  the  cipher  itself. 

Richmond  Enquirer  of  1807. 


AiVENDIX.  661 


II. 

THE  BATTLE  OF  MUSKINGUM,   OR  DEFEAT  OF   THE   BURRITES. 
NOVEMBER,  1806,  BY  GENERAL  E.  W.  TUPPER. 

IT  lias  been  the  province  of  the  bards  in  all  ages  to  record 
the  glorious  achievements  of  their  warriors.  The  heroes  of 
the  Nile,  Marengo  and  Austerlitz,  have  had  their  honors  re 
counted  ;  and  shall  not  those  of  Muskingum  live,  while  thous 
ands  are  forgotten  ?  Yes,  ye  virtuous  few !  Ye  also  shall 
live !  and  millions  yet  unborn,  while  passing,  shall  point  to 
the  shores  of  Muskingum  and  the  plains  of  Marietta,  and  say, 
"  There  fought  the  brave,  and  there  the  immortal  fell  ! " 
The  following  imitation  of  the  "  Battle  of  the  Kegs  "  is  offered 
!.o  the  public,  not  without  its  many  imperfections.  The  writer 
has,  in  several  instances,  chosen  to  sacrifice  the  harmony  of 
his  rhymes  to  the  more  essential  article  —  truth. 

Ye  jovial  throng,  come  join  the  song 

I  sing  of  glorious  feats,  sirs ; 
Of  bloodless  wounds,  of  laurels,  crowns, 

Of  charges,  and  retreats,  sirs ; 

Of  thundering  guns,  and  honors  won, 

By  men  of  daring  courage; 
Of  such  as  dine  on  beef  and  wine, 

And  such  a-s  sup  their  porridge. 


662  APPENDIX. 

"When  Blanny's  fleet,  so  snug  and  neat, 
Came  floating  down  the  tide,  sirs, 

Ahead  was  seen,  one-eyed  Clark  Green,* 
To  work  them,  or  to  guide,  sirs. 

Our  General  brave,f  the  order  gave, 
"  To  arms  !  to  arms !  in  season ! 

Old  Blanny's  boats,  most  careless  float, 
Brim-full  of  death  and  treason!" 

A  few  young  boys,  their  mother's  joys, 
And  five  men  there  were  found,  sirs, 

Floating  at  ease — each  little  sees 

Or  dreams  of  death  and  wound,  sirs. 

"  Fly  to  the  bank !  on  either  flank ! 
We'll  fire  from  every  corner; 
"We'll  stain  with  blood  Muskingum's  flood, 
And  gain  immortal  honor. 

The  cannon  there  shall  rend  the  air, 
Loaded  with  broken  spikes,  boys, 

While  our  cold  leadt  hurled  by  each  head, 
Shall  give  the  knaves  the  gripes,  boys. 

Let  not  maids  sigh,  or  children  cry, 
Or  mothers  drop  a  tear,  boys ; 

I  have  the  BaronJ  in  my  head ; 

Therefore  you've  nought  to  fear,  boys 

Now  to  your  posts,  this  numerous  host; 

Be  manly,  firm  and  steady. 
But  do  not  fire,  till  I  retire, 

And  say  when  I  am  ready." 


*  A  "bold  man,  well  known  in  those  days, 
t  Major-General  Buell. 

J  The  only  system  of  military  tactics  then  in  use  in  the  Western  coun 
try,  among  the  officers,  was  that  of  Baron  Steuben. 


APPENDIX.  603 


Tho  Deputy,*  courageously, 

Rode  forth  in  power  and  pride,  sirs; 
Twitching  his  reins,  the  man  of  brainsf 

Was  posted  by  his  side,  sirs. 

The  men  in  ranks  stand  on  the  banks, 
While,  distant  from  its  border, 

The  active  aid  scours  the  parade, 
And  gives  the  general  order. 

"First,  at  command,  bid  them  to  stand; 

Then,  if  one  rascal  gains  out, 
Or  lifts  his  poll;  —  G — d  d — n  his  soul, 
And  blow  the  traitors  brains  out." 

The  night  was  dark ;  silent  came  Clark 
With  twelve  or  fifteen  more,  sirs; 

While  Paddy  Hill,  with  voice  most  shrill, 
Hooped !  as  was  said  before,  sirs. 

The  trembling  ranks,  along  the  banks, 
Fly  into  Shipman's  manger; 

While  old  Clark  Green,  with  voice  serene, 
Cried,  "  Soldiers,  there 's  no  danger." 

"  Our  guns,  good  souls,  are  setting  poles ; 

Dead  hogs,  I  !m  sure,  can 't  bite  you ;  J 
Along  each  keel  is  Indian  meal ; 

There 's  nothing  here  need  fright  you." 

Out  of  the  barn,  still  in  alarm, 
Came  fifty  men,  or  more,  sirs, 

And  seized  each  boat  and  other  float, 
And  tied  them  to  the  shore,  sirs. 


*  Governor  Meigs. 
f  Name  withheld. 
\  The  boats  had  in  them  hogs  recently  slaughtered. 


664  APPENDIX. 

This  plunder  rare,  they  sport  and  share, 
And  each  a  portion  grapples. 

'T  was  half  a  kneel*  of  Indian  meal, 
And  ten  of  Putnam's  apples/f 

The  boats  they  drop  to  Allen's  shop, 
Commanded  by  O'Flannon, 

Where,  lashed  ashore,  without  an  oar, 
They  lay  beneath  the  cannon. 

This  band  so  bold,  the  night  being  cold, 
And  blacksmith's  shop  being  handy; 

Around  the  forge  they  drink  and  gorge 
On  whisky  and  peach-brandy. 

Two  honest  tars,  who  had  some  scars, 

Beheld  their  trepidation; 
Cries  Tom,  "  Come,  Jack,  let's  fire  a  crack; 

'T  will  fright  them  like  damnation. 

Tyler,  they  say,  lies  at  Belpre, 
Snug  in  old  Blanny's  quarters; 

Yet  this  pale  host  tremble  like  ghosts, 
For  fear  he  '11  walk  on  waters." 

No  more  was  said,  but  off  they  sped, 
To  fix  what  they  'd  begun  on; 

At  one  o'clock,  firm  as  a  rock, 

They  fired  the  spun-yarn  cannon. 

Trembling  and  wan  stood  every  man ; 

Then  bounced  and  shouted  murder; 
While  Sergeant  Morse  squealed  like  a  horse, 

To  get  the  folks  to  order. 


*  A  measure  of  two  quarts. 

t  There  were  a  few  apples  in  the  boats  belonging  to  A.  W.  Putnam,  of 
Belprd. 


APPENDIX.  665 

Ten  men  went  out,  and  looked  about; 

A  hearty  set  of  fellows  ; 
Some  hid  in  holes,  behind  the  coals, 

And  some  behind  the  bellows. 

The  Cor'ner*  swore,  the  western  shore, 

He  saw  with  muskets  bristle ; 
Some  stamp'd  the  ground ; — 't  was  cannon  sound. 

They  heard  the  grape-shot  whistle. 

The  Deputy  mounted  "  Old  Bay," 

When  first  he  heard  the  rattle, 
Then  changed  his  course,  "  great  men  are  scarce ; " 

I  'd  better  keep  from  battle." 

The  General  f  flew,  to  meet  the  crew, 

His  jacket  flying  loose,  sirs; 
Instead  of  sword,  he  seized  his  board; 

Instead  of  hat,  his  goose,  sirs. 

'Tyler's,"  he  cried,  "on  't other  side; 

Your  spikes  will  never  do  it; 
The  cannon's  bore  will  hold  some  more; 
Then  thrust  his  goose  into  it." 

Sol  raised  his  head ;  cold  spectres  fled ; 

Each  man  resumed  his  courage; 
Captain  O'Flan  dismissed  each  man 

To  breakfast  on  cold  porridge. 

Joel  Bowen.  t  Buell  was  a  tailor  by  trade. 


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E33U 
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Safford,  W.H, 
The  Blennerhassett 

E334 
S15 


263053 


